Just Friends
by Jujukeck
Summary: Ana Steele is a makeup artist who was hired to do the makeup for Elliot Grey's cousin and her wedding party. When Ana meets Elliot's brother Christian they strike up an unlikely friendship. But is there more than friendship between them?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 01

 **CPOV**

I can't believe I am here helping my brother and father put things together for our cousin's wedding here tomorrow. I don't even know why my mother agreed to host the wedding. I'm sure no other billionaire CEO has to do these things.

I finish helping Elliot move some potted plants in the garden. I walk in the house and find my mother, my aunt, Mia, our cousin Victoria, and Kate, Elliot's girlfriend. I look to Elliot, "What are they doing here? The wedding isn't until tomorrow."

Elliot smiles. "They are having their makeup done as a practice session."

"Practicing for what?" Why in the world would they need to practice having their makeup done?

"I don't question these things. But wait until you see the make-up artist."

"Why would I care about the make-up artist?"

"She's Kate's best friend. Just keep that in mind when you see her." He's smiling at me as if he has some sort of secret. A little while later I hear the rumble of a V8 engine pull in the driveway. When I look at him in confusion, he just smirks at me. "Kate! It sounds like Ana is here."

Kate looks over to Elliot, "Will you help her bring in her things?"

"Of course, baby. Come on, little brother." Reluctantly I go with him to help Kate's friend. Once we get outside, I am first shocked to see she drives a flawless black 1969 RS Z28 Camaro with white racing stripes. She gets out of the car and it's a beautiful woman with long dark sable brown hair. She looks up and she has piercing blue eyes. This woman who is wearing a black leather motorcycle jacket, distressed jeans, and boots is best friends with Katherine Kavanagh. _Unbelievable_.

I come to my senses and rush to help her get her things out of the car. "Nice car," I say to her as I take a bag from her hands.

She smiles at me and I'm not sure if she's laughing at me or not. "Thanks." I feel like an idiot. I look down to see the quote on her tank top says 'I am no bird and no net ensnares me' which I recognize from Jane Eyre.

Once inside, Ana starts to set everything up. She takes off her jacket and that's when I notice her tattoos. She has a sleeve starting with a branch of cherry blossoms coming from her shoulder. On her arm, she has a poppy flower, an anchor, a sparrow, a compass, books, a pink rose, and a horseshoe. In between each tattoo to tie them all together are little stars and dots. It's quite something and to be honest, I've never met a woman with tattoos like that. Then around her wrist on her other arm are the words 'obstinate headstrong girl' and on each finger of that hand are different triangles.

She gets to work doing the makeup of all the women and Elliot and I leave to finish so we can be ready in time for the rehearsal dinner. We get outside and Elliot smirks at me. "So, what did you think?" And I know he's asking about Ana.

"How in the hell is she friends with Kate? They seem completely different." I remark.

He laughs, "I know. They were roommates their freshman year of college. She's really cool though."

"Where did she get that car? That must be worth $75,000."

"It was her dad's car. He gave it to her when she went to college. She let me drive it once. That thing has balls." I shake my head in disbelief.

* * *

 **APOV**

Victoria asked me to stay for the rehearsal dinner. Luckily, Kate told me before I came so I brought along a dress and shoes. The Greys really know how to throw a party; if this is the rehearsal dinner I can only imagine what the wedding will be like. I am wearing a short red front keyhole A-line dress with long sleeves and leopard print heels with a red bow in the front.

The party is in full swing, I talked to Kate off and on but she has been busy so I've been hanging out and just watching everything. Beside me, I hear someone say, "Quite the party. Isn't it?" I turn to see Elliot's brother who helped me unload the car earlier today.

"Oh, hi. Yes, it is. I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name."

"Christian Grey. I'm Elliot's brother."

"Nice to meet you. Thank you for helping me earlier. I didn't have the chance to thank you properly."

"Don't worry about it. That's a pretty nice car you have."

"Thanks, I love it. It was my dad's, that car was his baby. He gave it to me when I moved to Seattle. It's not fancy but it's got a v8, 425 horsepower, dual exhaust, rally wheels, and a 3-speed manual transmission."

"I bet your boyfriend loves to drive it."

"Oh, he's not really into cars. He lives in New York."

"So it's a long distance thing? You and your boyfriend?"

"Yeah. What about you? Do you have a girlfriend?"

"Not a girlfriend. I have someone I see but only on the weekends."

"Don't you miss her during the week?"

He laughs, which I find strange. "No, I don't."

"Is she here now? With you?"

"Who?" How could he so quickly forget about his girlfriend?

"Your _not_ girlfriend."

"Oh. No. We don't do things like this together."

"That's kind of strange." _Shit_. I said that out loud. "I'm sorry. That was rude of me."

He smirks at me, "That's perfectly fine - Ana, right?"

"Yes. That's what everyone calls me. My full name is Anastasia."

"That's a beautiful name."

"Ugh, I hate it. I wish I had a normal name."

"I like it."

"Ana! Come here!" I hear Kate calling me as she is walking towards us.

"That's Kate. I better go. It was nice speaking with you."

"Same here. Until we meet again, Anastasia." I walk over to Kate.

"Ana, you look great! Victoria loves her makeup. She said she's going to tell all her friends to hire you."

"That's awesome, thanks! Maybe then I can stop the freelance copyediting."

"You love doing the copyediting, you know it."

"Yeah, I like both of my jobs. You know this is going to be you someday soon." I gesture around the room.

"What? You think Elliot is going to propose?" Kate's green eyes alight with exhilaration.

"Of course, he's crazy about you. Everyone can see that. It makes me miss Hollis."

"Ana, I don't know what you see in him. He moved to New York to bartend. It doesn't make sense."

"He's just trying to find his place, you know?"

"But the question is, where do you fit in it?"


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 02

 **APOV**

Today is Victoria's wedding at the Grey's mansion in Bellevue. I put on my Leota Kate static print shift dress and my black pointy toe pumps. I pin my hair up loosely. Hopefully, I look presentable enough. I get there early so there is plenty of time to do everyone's makeup. All the women are very nice so it doesn't feel so much like work. Victoria wanted me to attend the wedding and luckily Kate will be there, otherwise, I think I would feel very much out of place.

Kate and I find seats while we wait for the ceremony. I've never been to a house that was big enough to host a ceremony and reception. Victoria is a beautiful bride and her husband, Anthony, looks very happy.

The reception is a cocktail reception with heavy hors d'oeuvres - I like that so much better than a seated dinner with people I don't know. I go to the bar to get a glass of wine.

"So, we meet again."

I turn around to see Christian. "Yes, I guess so. Hi, Christian. How are you?"

"I'm doing well, you?"

"I'm hanging in there. It was a beautiful wedding."

"Yeah. My mother is Victoria's godmother so they are close."

"That's really cool."

"Are you cold?"

"Cold? No, why?"

"You're wearing long sleeves. You wore long sleeves yesterday too." I didn't realize he would be that perceptive. Most people don't notice.

"Oh, yeah. Most brides don't like my tattoos and it's hard to keep them all covered."

"What does it say on your wrist?" I pull the sleeve of my dress up to expose my right wrist.

"Obstinate, headstrong girl," I tell him.

"Ah, Pride and Prejudice. Are you a fan of Austen?"

"I have my degree in English Literature."

"So how did you get into doing makeup?"

"I started when I was in high school and when I got in college I helped a friend out and she liked what I did so she hired me to work part-time. So, I got my cosmetology license and here I am."

"Is it what you do full time?"

"No, I am a freelance copyeditor too. That's where my love of reading comes into play. What do you do?" He looks at me in shock, almost as if I should know.

"I own my own company. Grey Enterprise Holdings."

"Oh, wow. You seem young for that. What does your do?"

He smirks at me for a second. "I'm involved in a few things. I buy companies that are underperforming and sell them off or use them for my company, we build ships, and have a telecommunications division."

"That sounds like many different things."

"Yeah, I guess you could say my interests are varied. What are the tattoos on your fingers?" He points to my right hand.

"They are the four elements, one on each finger. This one with the upside down triangle with the horizontal line represents earth, the upside down triangle is water, the right side up triangle is fire, and this triangle with the horizontal line is for air."

"What made you want to get them?"

"Well, I got my first one and then just started to add on to it. They each mean something to me." I shrug as I say this. By now I should be used to the questions. Most people aren't used to seeing a woman with a sleeve.

"How many do you have?"

"Hmm… it's hard to tell now." I stop to think about it. "I guess there are ten in total. Eight of them make up my sleeve."

"I like how you feel open to be yourself. It's admirable."

"Oh, thanks but don't tell my mom that. She absolutely hates them. It's one of the reasons why we don't speak."

"What, were you a rebellious teenager?" He smiles at me and it's very charming.

"Actually, no. I was shy and a bookworm. What about you? You look like you could be trouble."

He leans in close to me and whispers, "As a matter of fact, I was. I was kicked out of 3 schools as a teenager."

I giggle a little. He looks so proper now. "I would have thought Elliot was the trouble-maker."

"Nah, he was always more of a lover. I was the fighter."

"I hope he's not much of a lover now. He is dating my best friend."

"You know, you and Kate don't seem to have a lot in common."

I laugh, everyone says that when they meet us. "I know. We were paired as roommates our first year in college and we were both English majors so we hit it off. She was the pretty outgoing one and I wasn't."

He gives me a sad smile in response. I yawn. "Am I boring you, Ana?" He says but he is trying to hide his smile.

"No, absolutely not. But I should get going. It's been a long day."

"I'll walk you to your car."

"How genteel. I just have to say goodbye to Kate." I walk over to Kate.

"Hey, Kate. I'm going to head out. Are you staying with Elliot tonight or coming back to the house?"

She gives me a quick hug. "I think we're staying here. But I'll be home tomorrow."

"OK. Be careful."

"Be careful driving home. I love you, Ana banana."

"Love you too, Kit-kat."

I walk out toward the front door where my car is parked in the driveway. Christian walks up to me. "Do you need help carrying things out?"

"No, but thank you. I took it all out earlier." We get to my car and I dig my keys out of my purse. "I love this car but it would be nice to have a remote start."

"She is a beautiful car, that's for sure." I open my door and go to get in. "Drive carefully, Ana. I'll see you again."

"Thanks, Christian. Bye."

I get home and pull into the driveway of the house I live in with Kate and José. José is my other best friend. I met him when I did the makeup for a charity drag show his boyfriend was in.

I open the front door, set my purse down on the small table by the door, and go into the living room. "Ana, how was the wedding? Was it beautiful?"

"It was. How the other half live, you know?"

"Oh, please. I wouldn't be able to live like that even if I have my own fairy godmother." José makes me laugh. "So were there any cute boys there you can introduce me to?"

"Sorry, honey. I think there were only straight cute guys there. You could have looked but no touching."

"That's no fun."

"I had a long day. I'm going to hit the sack."

"OK, honey. Brunch tomorrow?"

"Absolutely."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 03

 **APOV**

It's Sunday morning so José and I head to our favorite place for brunch, Lot No 3. They have the best mimosa flights and their food is pretty good too. Our brunches are the one thing we splurge on. It's a lot warmer this morning than it was yesterday so I wear a black spaghetti strap maxi dress and my Steve Madden Orva sandals.

José looks handsome in a blue polo shirt and jeans. We get to the restaurant and as we're waiting for a table we hear, "Ana, José! Over here!" We look over and it's Kate. "Come sit with us."

We walk over and seated at the table with Kate is Elliot, Mia, and Christian. "Are you guys sure? We don't want to intrude." I explain.

"Nonsense," Elliot replies. "We're just trying to recover from last night." He has a mischievous smile.

I introduce José. "José, this is Elliot's sister Mia and his brother Christian."

José looks at Christian and smiles. Just from that smile, I can tell he is attracted to him. He practically pushes me out of the way to sit in the empty chair next to Christian. Elliot gives me a perplexed look so I just shrug. The waiter comes up to take our drink order. I order the mimosa flight. José looks at Christian, "what are you drinking, handsome?"

Christian pauses before he answers looking a little stunned. "Coffee."

"That sounds fantastic. I'll have coffee." José orders. I have to stop myself from laughing, especially when Kate looks at me and mouths _what the fuck_? I just shake my head in response. He is such a shameless flirt.

I try to break the awkward silence created by José. "Sorry I left so early last night, I had a long day and was exhausted."

Mia looks at me, "You didn't miss anything exciting but I think our cousin Thomas was a bit bummed you left before he could ask you to dance. I think Christian monopolized your time." Christian stops eating and looks up at Mia.

"She was telling me about her car, Mia." Christian scolds her slightly.

"That's OK. Ana has a boyfriend." José quickly responds. This time Kate can't hold in her laughter. And shortly neither can I. I'm sure the two of us look crazy laughing like this but José really has his eyes set on Christian, who I am pretty sure is not gay.

"I don't think Thomas is Ana's type. I think he's still a virgin and lives with his mom and dad." Elliot interjects. I blush and look up at him.

"What kind of girl do you think I am?" I retort to him. I'm not really mad but I think he deserves a little bit of a hard time.

"Anyway, Elliot. What are you implying about my best friend?" Kate says.

"Nothing! I swear. It's just that Thomas is a dimwit. That's all!" I can't keep a serious face and break into a smile. Elliot visibly relaxes.

"Ana, will you share a cinnamon roll and some candied bacon with me?" José asks. He's been trying to eat healthier but hasn't been doing so well.

"Sure, do you want some of my yogurt parfait?"

He makes a face, "No, I'm also getting the cheddar and bacon scramble." He makes me laugh.

"Ana, what do your tattoos mean?" Mia asks innocently.

"Mia, I am sure Ana is tired of people asking her about that." Elliot chides her.

"Oh, not at all. The cherry blossoms that stretch across my back and to my left shoulder represent the beauty and delicacy of life, next is a poppy flower, at the bottom of the stem it has an F and an L for my father, those were his initials. He passed away when I was just a baby. Here is my anchor, it was my first Sailor Jerry style tattoo. The ribbon has Ray on it who is my step-father. He raised me and is my anchor. The pink rose here represents healing and innocence. Next is my sparrow which is also a Sailor Jerry tattoo. That stands for loyalty to family because they return home yearly. It reminds me that I can always go home. The star compass is this one with the watercolor design behind it. It is to help me find my way. This is a lucky horseshoe, and these are books with the saying 'I've lived a thousand lives' because I was an English major in college."

"Wow. That's so cool. I like how you tied in the different styles. My favorite is the rose. It looks so real - especially because it doesn't have an outline."

"I like that one too. My artist is very talented."

"Are you going to get any more?" Mia asks.

"Well, I'm out of room on this arm so I'd have to pick another spot I suppose." The rest of the meal we talk about other things that thankfully don't focus on me. Overall, though, we had a good time. However, I think José is a little crestfallen that Christian isn't gay.

* * *

 **CPOV**

Brunch was nice and it was good to see Ana again. She's interesting and different. I like that I can have a conversation with her. I think José was a little strange though.

I get home to my apartment and Sonia is there waiting for me. "Master, what would you like me to do?" She's OK as a sub - not the best but not the worst.

"Sonia, I have some work I need to do so I don't have much time. Be ready in the playroom in five minutes."

Five minutes later, I enter the playroom and Sonia is there on her knees waiting for me. "Like I said earlier, I don't have much time so this will be quick."

"Yes, Sir." She quietly replies. I decide to suspend her horizontally, face up, using the spreader bar. That way there is no way she can touch me and I have complete control. I don't waste any time and I fuck her hard - I didn't even take my jeans off. Once finished, I button my jeans back up and get her out of the suspension.

"Are you OK?" I ask her.

"Yes, Sir."

"Go into your bedroom. I'll be in there shortly." Sonia obediently goes to her bedroom. When I enter the room, she is lying on her bed. I am holding the black pepper massage oil and begin to rub it into her muscles. Once I am finished, I tell her, "You're all set. I have to be at work early and will probably be gone before you wake, so I will see you next weekend."

I go down to my office and for the next few hours, I work before I try to sleep. I still can't sleep without nightmares so I am awake before 5. I go for a run and then am at work before 7.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 04

 **APOV**

"Kate, what do you want to do for your birthday?" I ask Kate as we have our coffee before she heads to work on Monday morning.

"I want to have a party here with our friends. Just a fun, easy going night."

"I think we can do that. Invite who you want and I'll take care of everything else."

"OK! This is going to be fun. Do you think we can pull it off for Friday night?"

"I don't see why not."

"OK, thanks, Ana. I'll see you after work."

"See you, Kate." Kate leaves for work so I start on putting everything for the party together. I've decided to have a Cuba theme with a make-your-own mojito bar and Cuban snacks.

I spend the day putting together the menu. For the mojito bar, I will get Bacardi, Captain Morgan, and Sailor Jerry rum. At the farmer's market, I am able to get fresh mint, guarapo, and limes as well as mango, watermelon, ginger, and strawberries.

For food, I am going to make pineapple guacamole with plantain chips, empanadas, malanga fritters, maduros, bruschetta cubana, croquetas de jamón, and mini Cuban sandwiches. I'll also have fresh fruit and veggies, too.

I'm going to use colorful ribbons and have palms, orchids, and hibiscus as decorations then create a playlist with Buena Vista Social Club, Gloria Estefan, X Alfonso, and Daymé Arocena.

I feel satisfied with what I have so far and I think everything will be in place by Friday.

* * *

 **CPOV**

I have a boring week full of meetings ahead of me. I don't know what's going on but I have been having a complete feeling of ennui about everything.

Mid-morning I get a call from my brother.

"Grey."

"Christian, do you have plans for Friday night?"

"You know I do." A few years ago I confided in Elliot about my lifestyle. He's the only person who knows and thankfully has been keeping it a secret.

"Kate is having a birthday party and said I should invite you."

"Going to a party full of drunk people I don't know doesn't exactly sound like a good time."

"You'll know me, Kate, Ana, and Mia are coming, too."

I pause to think about it. Am I seriously considering going to a birthday party instead of spending it with my sub?

"Christian, act your age. Have some fun. You still have the rest of the weekend to yourself."

"Alright, I'll go. But I am not guaranteeing I will stay long. I'll stop by and that's it."

"Cool. I'll text you Kate's address."

* * *

 **APOV**

Finally, it's Friday, the day of the party. Everything is ready and Kate is excited. I'm wearing comfortable clothes - a loose gray tank top over a lacy bralette and ripped jeans. Everyone is expected around 7 this evening. Around 6, Hollis calls me. He is supposed to come for a visit next week. I am excited to see him since it's been a month since he left. I miss him.

"Hollis!"

"Ana."

"What's the matter?"

"Listen, I won't be able to make it to visit you."

"But, why?"

"They asked me to work and it means I'll get overtime. That way I can make more money to save and visit you."

"Oh, OK."

"Don't be upset, Kitten. It's for us."

"But, it doesn't seem to make sense, Hollis. You already have the money to visit me. All you need are the plane tickets, everything else I can take care of."

"Are you trying to say I don't want to visit you?"

"No. It's just… it's just that I miss you."

"I miss you too. Soon enough. Listen, I have to get to work."

"I love you."

"Yeah, I love you too, Ana. Bye." And with that, he hung up. I was really looking forward to his visit. I've missed him since he moved across the country.

"Ana! Everything looks so good!" Kate stops when she sees me. " What's the matter?"

"Nothing, everything is fine. I have to get changed before people get here."

"Ana, don't lie to me. What is going on?" Before I can answer her, Elliot, Mia, and Christian arrive. José goes down to greet them. "Hey guys, we'll be right down!" Kate yells down.

I go to turn away to go to my room and change. "Not so fast, Steele." I turn to look at Kate. I should have known I wouldn't be able to sneak out of it. "Tell me what happened."

I sigh and then breathe deeply so I don't cry. "Hollis isn't coming to visit. He has to work." Kate looks at me bewildered.

"I thought he was just bartending?"

"Yeah, he is. They asked him to work so he said he would so he could make money to visit." Kate raises her eyebrow and I know that means she wants to say more but won't. "You look so cute in that dress and I look like a mess," I tell her. She is wearing a cherry-red silk party dress with ruffles from Cinq à Sept. It has a Cuban flare to it.

"You look fine. Let's go downstairs and get you drunk."

"But it's your birthday, Kate."

"Exactly, so you have to do what I want."

We head downstairs to meet everyone who has showed up. José looks at me, "Honey, you look like shit." Leave it to José to tell the truth.

"José! She looks beautiful. Shut up." Kate glares at him, silently daring him to say another word. Wisely, he doesn't say another word.

José looks at me and knows something is wrong. "Cupcake, what's wrong?" He asks.

"Her boyfriend is an ass, that's what's wrong." Kate interjects. José looks at me.

"Hollis isn't coming to visit."

Quietly, I hear José say, "bicho." I've heard him say that enough to know what it means.

Elliot looks at José questioningly. He looks at Elliot and points to his crotch. Loudly, Elliot says, "oh, why didn't you just say dick, or the baloney pony, clam hammer, knob-goblin…"

Before he has a chance to continue, Mia says, "gross, Elliot. We get the picture."

Elliot smirks, "OK, then we should get Ana drunk, smashed, battered, bent, blitzed, inebriated, hammered…"

"Elliot!" This time it was Kate who yelled at him. It actually made me laugh. I don't know how you can't laugh around him.

Christian brings me a mojito, "Here is your first of the night." I take a sip and he sits between me and Mia on the sofa.

The next couple of hours are a blur. I remember people handing me lots of mojitos and hearing the playlist I made in the background. People came and went throughout the night, that much I remember.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 05

 **CPOV**

I feel bad for Ana, you can tell she was hurt that her boyfriend isn't coming to visit. As the night goes on and Ana drinks more, I feel slightly protective of her. I don't know anyone here but she seems vulnerable.

I've lost count of how much she drank. At one point we're sitting there talking about random things when Ana says, "You know what's a funny sounding word? Poop." She starts to giggle uncontrollably. I can't help but laugh with her.

"Dollop. That's funny too." This time she laughs so hard she snorts.

"Did you just snort?" I ask her still laughing.

"Snort? No. Who does that?" Suddenly she leans back so she is resting against me. Normally, I don't like someone touching me but Ana seems innocent enough. She is looking up at me and runs her fingers through my hair. She starts to laugh.

"What?" I smile at her. She is so drunk she is ridiculous right now.

"Your hair looks like your head exploded." She just busts out laughing. "It's all like… boosh!" She moves her hands imitating an explosion.

I shake my head, "um, thanks?"

"No, it's not bad. You have nice hair. You also have pretty eyes. You look hungry." She reaches over to the coffee table and grabs a pretzel. "Here, eat." She is trying to push the pretzel in my mouth.

"I'm fine, but thank you." I try to say to her but she keeps insisting saying "pretzel" over and over again. I give into her and let her feed me the pretzel.

"See, you were hungry. Let me get you a sandwich." She goes to get up but falls back on me.

"Whoa. I think you're a bit drunk, Ana. Let me help you."

"I'm not drunk. You can't just decide that I'm drunk! You're drunk, Mr. Tall Person." At least she's entertaining when she is drunk.

"Come on, I'll get you settled upstairs."

"I can walk." She goes to walk in front of me and starts to fall again so I catch her. This time I just carry her upstairs. I get up to her room and lay her down on her bed.

"No, don't go yet. Stay with me just a little while. I don't want to be alone."

"Alright but just for a little bit," I say and I take off my shoes and socks and lay down in her bed. She climbs into the bed next to me and lays her head on my chest. She doesn't move so it doesn't bother me.

"Thank you, Christian." She mumbles. Almost immediately she's asleep and I don't want to disturb her, plus her bed is surprisingly comfortable and she smells good. For the first time in my life, I actually sleep with someone.

* * *

 **APOV**

I wake up and immediately close my eyes. The sun is too bright. How long did I sleep for? Then I realize I'm not alone in my bed. Christian is sleeping with his arms wrapped around me. _Holy shit_. I don't remember if we had sex or not. Was I that drunk? Suddenly, sleepy gray eyes look at me.

"Good morning, Ana. How are you feeling this morning?" He smirks at me.

"Um… I don't know." I still don't know if I should begin to panic or not.

"Don't worry Ana. We just slept. You were very drunk last night so I helped you to bed and you asked me to lie with you. You fell asleep and I didn't have the heart to disturb you."

"Oh, thank you for taking care of me." Just then I realize how bad of a headache I have.

"Come, I'll get you some breakfast and Advil and then I'll be on my way."

"I don't think I have anything here to make for breakfast."

"I know. Let's go out. That way everyone else can still sleep."

"Is everyone else still sleeping?"

"Yes. You had a late night but not nearly as late as Kate and Elliot."

I put my shoes on and grab my keys. Once we're outside, I toss Christian my keys. "Do you want to drive?"

He looks at me, his eyes large. "Are you sure you trust me? You hardly know me."

"I think after last night, I can trust you. Just don't let José know; I still won't let him drive it." He opens the passenger door for me and I get in. With a huge shit-eating grin he gets in behind the wheel. I didn't think it was possible but his smile grows larger after he starts it and hears the rumble of the engine.

He pulls up and parks the car on the street and gets out to open my door. "Madame," he says with a flourish as he opens the door.

"Thank you, kind Sir." We walk into Glo's Cafe but there is a line. "Looks like we have a wait."

He just smiles at me. He walks up to the host and they have a brief conversation I can't hear. Quickly, we are lead to a table. I look at Christian in astonishment. "I have my ways," he says in response.

Christian orders the grilled vegetarian frittata and I have the pancakes. The food is excellent and the coffee is even better. The waitress drops off the check and I go to grab it. Christian immediately takes the check from my hand. "Oh no, you don't, Miss Steele."

"Why not?"

"I'm not going to let a woman pay for my meal. It's bad manners." He makes me laugh.

"Christian, you don't have to be so proper. It's not a date or anything."

"I still don't want you to pay. And believe me, I'm not that proper." With that statement I know there is something more to him - something he isn't telling me.

I sigh at him. "Do you have plans with your non-girlfriend tonight?"

He gives me a devilish smile. "I have standing plans with her every weekend."

"Well, then I thank you for coming over last night and breakfast this morning."

"You're welcome. I actually had a good time."

"Actually? So you were expecting to _not_ have a good time?"

"No comment. Are you ready?"

"After you," I say and give him a spurious smile. He just shakes his head.

He drives my car back to the house, now everyone else is awake. We get in and Kate, Elliot, and Mia and drinking coffee and chatting. "There you guys are!" Mia cheerfully says.

"Mia, are you ready to go? I have plans I need to keep." Christian asks her.

"Sure." Mia gets up and grabs her things. "Bye, guys. I had fun. Thank you for inviting me."

I give Mia a big hug. "Thank you for coming. I hope the guest room was OK."

"It was great. See you, Ana."

"Bye, Christian. Thanks for breakfast."

The rest of my weekend was pretty uneventful. Saturday was spent cleaning up from the party and Sunday was just boring chores.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 06

 **APOV**

It's Monday and Kate left to go to Portland for a few days for work and José has a date. So, I'm on my own probably until the weekend. I decide to text Christian and thank him for taking care of me on Friday.

 ***Thank you for Friday night and breakfast. I don't think I thanked you properly.***

 ***Good morning, Anastasia. You are quite welcome. It was a fascinating evening. I haven't had one like that for some time.***

 ***Now I am nervous - I hope I didn't do anything embarrassing.***

 ***No, you didn't.***

 ***Thank you. I still owe you a breakfast. I won't let you get away with paying.***

 ***What does the rest of the week look like for you?***

 ***Nothing really. Kate is in Portland for a few days and José has a new boyfriend.***

 ***Would you like to meet for dinner tonight?***

 ***I'm not sure we should…***

 ***Ana, just as friends. You and I are both in relationships.***

 ***Sorry, I just get nervous.***

 ***Don't worry about it. So, tonight? 6 pm Flintcreek Cattle Co?***

 ***OK, I'll meet you there.***

 ***Laters***

I've never been to Flintcreek - it's pretty hard to get in there but I think being Christian Grey must have its advantages.

* * *

 **CPOV**

I call Flintcreek for a reservation and private dining. Then I have a meeting with my PA, Andrea, to discuss my agenda for the week. We are attempting to acquire a tech company headquartered in Manhattan, New York. If GEH can acquire this company, it will give us an edge on developing a bicycle-powered cell phone charger. An advancement like this could become invaluable to areas where electricity is expensive or scarce.

Just after lunch my cell phone rings. "Grey."

"Hey, bro. What are you doing tonight? Kate had to go to Portland for a few days and I was looking for some company for dinner."

"You mean you don't know how to cook and you want someone to mooch off of." I correct him.

"Oh, shut the fuck up. You don't know how to cook either. I can at least survive without a housekeeper and cook."

"Don't be mad at me because I have the sense to hire someone who is a great cook."

"Yeah, Gail is a good cook. Kate can't cook for shit. Anyway, what are your plans for dinner?"

"I'm meeting Ana at Flintcreek. You're welcome to join us."

"Cool. What time?"

"Six."

"See you there."

* * *

 **APOV**

I know Flintcreek is a pretty expensive restaurant so I should dress nicer than my usual t-shirt and jeans. I don't think it's super dressy, though. I just don't want to embarrass Christian since this isn't a jeans and t-shirt type of place.

I decide to wear my black floral Malone plunge mini dress from Wayf with tights and my black booties. I think it's a decent compromise.

They don't have a parking lot so I had to drive around a bit to find street parking, in rush hour traffic no less. The one bad thing about my Camaro is it is a little bigger than regular cars so parking can get tricky. I find a spot a couple of blocks away so it means I am a couple of minutes late.

I get to the restaurant and the host tells me Christian is already seated so they lead me to the table towards the back of the restaurant. Christian and Elliot are both there and stand when I arrive.

As I sit down, I apologize, "I'm sorry! I had trouble finding parking."

"Don't worry about it, Ana," Christian tells me. "I've ordered a bottle of the Malbec, I hope you don't mind."

"No, that sounds good. Thank you. Have you ordered yet?" I ask them.

"We were waiting for you, doll," Elliot says making me blush. "You clean up nice there, kid. Are you trying to impress me? Because I am taken." He's always teasing me.

I roll my eyes at him. "No. I just didn't think they would appreciate my… look at a place like this." I'm not ashamed of my tattoos at all but I know they aren't everyone's cup of tea and although I would be fine with them showing others might not.

"If I can handle going out in public with Elliot here, no amount of tattoos could embarrass me. Plus, they look good. They are a part of who you are." As we make small talk, I look over the menu. It all looks delicious.

By the time the waiter comes for our order I've made up my mind. "I'll have the slow braised bison short rib with pickled mushrooms, baby turnips, parmesan grits, and a red wine creme fraiche broth. Please. And a glass of water. Thank you." The waiter smiles at me as he collects our menus. While we are waiting and talking about the best classic rock bands and I contend Kansas must be in the top ten at least, I get a text from José.

"Crap," I say not realizing I said that out loud.

"What's the matter?" Elliot asks.

"Well, I have this luncheon tomorrow where I am getting some kind of award. José was going to go with me so I wouldn't be alone but he just texted me that he has to go home to help his dad with something. Now I have to go alone."

"You didn't say anything about an award. What is it for?" Elliot implored.

I blush once more. I've never liked being the center of attention. "I'm getting the Seattle's Best Mobile Makeup Artist Award. It's nothing really fancy or anything."

"What do you mean it's nothing? It sounds like a big deal to me." Christian chides. I just shrug at him in response.

"I would go with you but I have a bid meeting for a new building I am working on." Elliot legitimately looks disappointed he can't go.

Christian looks at Elliot then to me. "My schedule is pretty free tomorrow, how about I go in José's place?"

"Really? You wouldn't mind? I'd ask Kate but since she's away…"

"I would be honored to go. What time shall I pick you up?"

"It starts at 11:30 at Urban Light Studios. How does 11 am sound?"

"I'll be there."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 07

 **CPOV**

I pull up in my R8 to Ana's place at exactly 11 am. She must have been waiting for me because as soon as I turn the car off she comes walking out. I am momentarily enchanted by her. She is wearing a cranberry-colored long-sleeve jersey dress that hugs her curves perfectly. And, 5-inch platform t-strap open toe heels that are cranberry in one section, royal blue in another, and a light gray in another. When she turns to lock the door I see the dress is backless with an asymmetric deep V. It gives a sexy glimpse of her cherry blossom tattoo stretching across her back.

She gets to the car and right away I can tell she's nervous. "Hi." She quietly greets me.

"Ana, you look fantastic."

"Really? I wasn't sure of this outfit. I normally don't wear things like this."

"It suits you."

She blushes. "Thank you."

We're driving there and I notice she keeps checking her phone for something. "What's wrong?"

"Hollis was supposed to call me this morning but I haven't heard from him and he hasn't answered my calls or texts. I'm just worried."

"I'm sure everything is fine. Maybe he just lost track of time."

She looks over at me and gives me a shy smile. "Yeah, that's probably it."

* * *

 **APOV**

We arrive at the banquet and start to mingle with wine and hors d'oeuvres before the luncheon and awards begin. There are many well-known people here and it's kind of intimidating.

Soon we find our table and take our seats for the awards to begin. About an hour into the ceremony they call my name to receive the award, "And the Best Mobile Makeup Artist, Anastasia Steele." The MC announces. I slowly walk up to the stage, careful to not trip. Luckily, I don't have to give a thank you speech and just pose for a quick picture.

Afterward, someone approaches us. "Mr. Grey." Christian stands up to shake his hand. "Hi, Jim. Ana, this is Jim Bowden. He's the COO of Tiger Oak Media who publishes Seattle Magazine."

I shake his hand, "Nice to meet you, Mr. Bowden."

"Please, Ana, call me Jim. So how is Grey here so lucky to know you?"

Suddenly I feel bashful. "Oh, um, his brother is dating my best friend."

He gives me a sly smile. "So, you two aren't together?"

"Just friends." Christian replies.

"Ah, so, Ana who is just friends, does that mean you are free for dinner some time?"

"Mr. Bowden, I'm sorry but I have a boyfriend. I am flattered though."

"Ah, forgive my intrusion, but why isn't he here now?"

I start to stammer, "He… he lives in New York."

Christian interrupts, "that's why friends like me get to join her at award ceremonies."

"Well, Miss Steele, then he is a lucky man. Golf sometime, Grey?"

"Call Andrea to set it up." Bowden walks away. I look up at Christian. He smiles. "He's harmless but a bit of a douche." Christian makes me laugh.

"Well, thank you for coming here with me."

"No problem. Congratulations on your award. We should hang out again sometime if you aren't too busy now that you are Seattle's Best Mobile Makeup Artist."

"I really don't think an award is going to bring me any more business."

"Your talent will. If you could make my cousin happy, you can make anyone happy." The rest of the luncheon is uneventful so we make our getaway.

He pulls up in front of my house. "Thank you for being a friend, Christian." I honestly tell him.

Christian gives me a shy smile, "You're welcome. Now, get inside. You probably have a lot of new customers waiting for you."

* * *

 **CPOV**

Aside from my family and Elena, I don't think I've ever had a friend. Most people are nice to me because they have to be or they are intimidated by me. It's a good feeling even though it's a little perplexing that Ana and me, two people from two completely different worlds, have found friendship with each other. And, I have this feeling nagging at me and I know what I need to do. I don't completely understand it but I just know I have to do it.

I decide not to return to work and head back home. Once in my office, I make a phone call.

"Yes, Master?"

"Sonia, I have something important I need to speak with you about. Can you come by to my apartment?"

"Yes, Sir. I will be there in 30 minutes."

"Thank you." I hang up the phone and gather my necessary documents.

As promised, a half hour later Sonia arrives. Taylor leads her to my office. She immediately bows her head in submissive form. "You can relax Sonia and have a seat."

"Thank you, Master."

"Listen, Sonia, you're a great submissive. I've enjoyed my time with you. However, I need to end our contract effective immediately."

"But, Sir? Why?" She looks at me with tears beginning to pool in her eyes.

"It's nothing you've done. Like I said, you've been great and I'll be happy to give you a reference. I've just made the decision to not have a submissive for the moment. I don't have the time to commit to it right now. Thank you for being a great submissive."

"Oh, yes Sir."

"I will have someone collect your things in your room and deliver them to your apartment along with the title to the car."

"Thank you, Mr. Grey."

"Thank you for understanding, Sonia. Good bye and good luck."

Sonia leaves the apartment and I sit in my office contemplating my decision. Why does it suddenly feel wrong to have a submissive? I've had them all these years and never felt this way. Every submissive has entered into a contract with me knowing exactly what they were in for.

Before I have a chance to do anything else, Mia calls me. "Hello, Mia." I attempt to sound irritated with her just to rile her a little.

"Christian, that is no way to greet your little sister." It worked.

I smile in my little victory. "Mia, I'm just teasing. What's up?"

"Well, as you know, my 21st birthday is in two weeks. And mom and dad are throwing me a Monte Carlo themed party. Everyone will be wearing tuxedos and evening gowns. It's going to be fantastic."

"Sounds like you'll have a good time."

"I want you to come."

"Mia, you know that's not really my thing. Why don't you just have a good time with your friends?"

"Please, Christian? It would be the best present and Elliot and Kate are going." She is whining to me now.

"Fine, I'll go but I can't guarantee how long I will stay there, OK?"

"Yay! You're the best brother ever."

"Yeah, yeah. Bye, Mia."

"Bye, Christian!"


	8. Chapter 8

_NB: I've received a lot of questions regarding Hollis' name. They make me laugh, especially when you tell me you don't like the name since I got it from Googling "douchebag hipster names". :-D_

* * *

Chapter 08

 **APOV**

"Hello?"

"Anastasia Steele?"

"Yes, who is asking?"

"Miss Steele, this is Dolores Alleman from Brightseal Filmworks. I am producing a movie called Wonder Master, there is an opening on the makeup team and we'd like you to be the lead makeup artist."

"Wow. Really? Where is it filming?"

"New York City. Production is expected to last about a month."

"That sounds like a great opportunity. Can I take some time to think it over?"

"Absolutely. We leave to begin filming a week from Sunday so we will need to know the Saturday before we leave."

"Definitely. I can do that. Thank you Ms. Alleman."

"Please, Anastasia, call me Dolores. Call me if you have any questions in the meantime."

"Will do. I'll speak with you soon. Thank you."

"Thank you, Anastasia. I hope you'll consider it." I am so glad Kate is home. I have to share this with someone. I bound down the steps from my room to the living room.

"Kate! You'll never believe what just happened!"

"Oh my God. What happened? Are you OK, Ana?"

"No, no… I'm fine. I'm better than fine. I just got offered a job as the lead makeup artist for a movie!"

Kate runs up to me and together we are excitedly jumping up and down. "Ana! That is so cool! I didn't know they are shooting a movie in Seattle."

I stop jumping. "Oh, no… it's shooting in New York City. If I take it, I'll have to be out there for about a month."

Kate's face falls momentarily but then she recovers. "Oh, so you would be close to Hollis for that time. Do you think you may stay there?"

"Oh, I don't know. I don't even know if I am going to take it."

"It sounds like a good opportunity."

"I know. I just want to weigh all the options. You know?"

"Yeah, we should celebrate. It's Friday night anyway. Let me call Elliot and see if he wants to come over. We can have dinner with José and have some drinks."

"Sounds like a great idea. I'll go tell José."

It didn't take much to convince José to join our celebration. I go downstairs to check in with Kate.

"I talked to Elliot. He said he and Mia are going to Christian's tonight for dinner but he said the three of us should go over there. It should be a fun relaxed night. Supposedly, Christian has a fancy penthouse in Escala."

"Wow. OK. Sounds like fun. When do we need to be there?"

"In about an hour. So we should get ready."

"OK. Do you think it's still OK for me to wear jeans?"

"Sure, I was planning on it myself."

I put on my black coated skinny jeans, pink crepe embroidered cami top from River Island, the black booties I wore the other night, and my Japanese black with ivory arms silk Sukajan jacket with embroidered koi fish and cherry blossoms.

Kate looks gorgeous in her Topshop Polly Bardot velvet top in a rose color, white skinny jeans and these gorgeous pumps. "Kate, those shoes go perfectly with that outfit." She always looks like a model.

"Thanks, they're new. I got them at Nordstrom. They're called Eucalypto from Menbur. Where's José?"

I roll my eyes, "He's still getting ready. José! Come on, we're going to be late!"

"Don't get your panties in a bunch, Ana! I'm ready." José says as he is walking down the stairs.

We arrive to Escala and I am astounded by the extravagance of this building. It's tall, marble, and fancy. The entire place looks like a museum. We get into the elevator and Kate punches in a code before the elevator whisks us up to the 30th floor. The elevator doors open to a huge foyer with some guy standing there. He looks like he could be secret service. "Mr. Grey is in the great room. It's this way." He points toward the great room.

We hear Elliot talking loudly as we walk into the room. "Well, here they are! Better late than never."

Kate pouts, "It's José's fault."

"You can't be this fabulous quickly." José retorts making us laugh.

"Gail has dinner ready in the dining room." Christian announces. We get into the dining room to the huge table that is large enough to fit at least a dozen people. The table is set and dinner is already plated with pan-seared rib-eye steaks with béarnaise sauce, shoestring french fries, and a green salad.

"Wow, everything looks great, Christian." I say as my stomach grumbles.

We are all seated and Kate holds up her glass of wine, "To Ana and her opportunity in New York."

Mia looks at me excitedly, "What's this opportunity in New York?"

I glare at Kate for spilling the beans like this. "I haven't made a decision yet about going, but I was offered a job doing makeup for a movie shooting in New York City."

"Congrats. When does it start filming?" Elliot asks me.

"I would leave a week from Sunday for about a month."

"Well, then this is a celebration dinner. Good luck with your new opportunity. To Ana." Christian toasts me holding up his glass of wine.

"To Ana, the best makeup artist I know." José says.

"José, I'm the only makeup artist you know."

Everyone erupts in laughter. We eat a fabulous dinner and have great conversation. After we eat, we sit around on his large sectional sofa in front of the fireplace. At one point, Kate sneezes and Elliot says, "I'd say God bless you but I see he already has."

We start laughing even harder. "How about… you must be a Sharpie because you are fine!"

"Elliot, how many cheesy pickup lines do you know?" Mia asks.

"A lot." He boasts.

"I have one!" I say.

"Oh yeah, Steele, let's hear it." Elliot urges me.

"OK… my body has 206 bones in it. Want to give me another?"

Both Elliot and Christian laugh. "I have another," Elliot says. "Excuse me, I'm really attracted to you and according to Newton's laws of gravitation, you're attracted to me too." He has a huge grin on his face and you can tell he is proud of himself.

"What's your name? Because I'll be screaming it all night long."

"Oh my God! Ana!" Mia is laughing as she scolds me.

"That was pretty good. You win this one, Steele."

"Ana, you're coming to my party, right?" Mia asks me.

"Sure, when is it?"

"A week from tomorrow. It's a Monte Carlo theme so wear your best gown."

"Oh, I don't know. That's not my thing. And, I don't have a date. I assume you need one for this type of party."

"You can go with Christian." Mia offers.

"Mia, I don't think Ana's boyfriend will like that." Christian tells her.

"You can just go as friends." Mia rolls her eyes.

Christian and I look at each other and shrug. "Good! Then it's settled. You two can go together as friends."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 09

 **APOV**

Tonight is the night of Mia's party, and my last night in Seattle for a few weeks. I'm already packed and ready to go. Hollis is going to pick me up at JFK airport tomorrow.

I have never been to a formal ball or party but I think the dress I got looks good. It's the black Isla dress from Fame and Partners. It's a stunning lace dress with delicate crisscross straps, sultry scooped open back, fitted bodice, and a sleek maxi skirt with a subtle train. I'm wearing black Vince Camuto Devin sandals with it. I pinned my hair up so it's off my back and hangs in loose curls.

Christian insisted on picking me up even though I wanted to drive. He pulls up in front of the house with his R8. He gets out and is simply gorgeous. He's wearing a classic tuxedo and looks like he walked out of the pages of a magazine. I'm struck dumb.

I walk out of the house to greet him, "My God, Ana, you are stunning." He makes me blush.

"I should say the same to you." He opens the door so I can get in the car. Once Christian gets in, I ask "What can I expect at this party?"

Christian smiles. "Well, Mia will be excited and in seventh heaven, her friends will be horrible and bitchy, and everyone else will be trying to get drunk while remaining classy."

"Sounds fun," I say sarcastically and Christian laughs.

"It will be. Don't worry. Are you ready to go to New York?"

"Sure." The anxiety in my voice betrays me.

"You don't sound excited."

"I'm just nervous. I've never done makeup for a movie and I'm nervous to see… nevermind. Thank you for taking me tonight. It'll be a fun last night."

"Are you nervous to see your boyfriend?"

"Yes, but I don't know why. There's just something in the back of my mind. You know?"

"I know it's an excellent opportunity, but are you sure this is what you want to do?"

"Absolutely. I mean, I'll miss everyone here but I can't pass this up."

When we get to the party, I am immediately impressed. The decorations really make it seem like we're in a casino in Monte Carlo. There is a spot where people are standing to get their pictures taken as they enter. I go to walk around the photographer when Christian grabs my elbow holding me back. "Wait, don't you want to get our picture taken?"

"Oh, I thought you wouldn't want to, considering we're both in other relationships."

"Of course I do. You're my date to this and, as a matter of fact, I'm no longer in a relationship."

"You're not? What happened?"

"It just didn't work out. I'm not upset about it." We pose for the picture and as soon as we're finished Mia comes up to us.

"Christian! Ana! You look fantastic!" Mia gives us both a hug. "Ana, I want you to meet my friends. This is Lily, Michelle, and Kendra." Her friends don't look very friendly. It makes me wonder why Mia is friends with them.

Luckily, Kate and Elliot save us. Kate looks fantastic in her red Bariano off-the-shoulder gown and glittery gold Kate Spade idaya heels. "Kate! You look stunning!" I tell her as we hug. You would think we don't live with each other by how excited we are to see each other.

"Ana, I should be saying that to you!" Kate gushes over me as she holds me at arm's length.

Kate and I talk enthusiastically while we sip champagne. The four of us decide to go inside where they have table games. We walk up to a craps table. Elliot takes the dice and with a dramatic flourish, he has Kate kiss them before he shoots. He rolls a lucky 7 and the small crowd gathered at the table erupts in cheers. It's so exciting! Elliot plays for a while and each time, he has Kate kiss the dice for good luck.

* * *

 **CPOV**

Elliot is already on a hot streak and I cheer along with Kate and Ana as he continues to play. I have to admit Ana looks sensational in her black lace gown and her hair swept up off her neck. She did a sultry smokey eye that intensifies the blue of her eyes.

Ana takes a step back from the table. "Would you like to dance, Ana?"

She looks up at me, "Dance?"

"That's what I said. Dance." I smirk at her.

"I heard what you said. I just didn't know you can dance."

"You'll have to see to find out." I hold my hand out to her. A small smile creeps on her lips. She places her hand in mine. I lead her down to the tent with the dance floor. The band starts to play 'Come Fly With Me' and I sweep Ana in my arms and into a foxtrot.

Ana giggles. "You're actually good at this."

"You doubted me?" I act offended but when she laughs once more I can't hide my smile. "I could use a drink and a break. How about you?"

"Yes. But I have to go to the ladies' room first."

"It's just up at the top of that hill to the right. Do you want me to show you?"

"No, I'm good. I'll be right back."

* * *

 **APOV**

I leave Christian at the tent and walk up the hill to the bathrooms. I'm actually having a lot of fun. Who would have thought I would be friends with someone like Christian Grey?

It takes me a while in the stall to get situated, I'm not used to wearing gowns. As I am trying to pull myself together, I hear some people come into the bathroom. They must be at the mirror and are talking with each other. They don't know I'm here. It sounds like Mia's friends I met earlier.

"Did you see all of her tattoos? How trashy, right?"

"I know! How did Christian even meet someone like her? Or should I say what rock did he find her under?" The girls all laugh at their joke.

"It was probably for some charity. You know, like when celebrities take a sick kid to the prom or something."

"Oh my God, Lily, you are so mean!"

"I'm just honest." They laugh once more and leave the bathroom.

Trashy? Does everyone think I'm trashy? How many more people are whispering about me behind my back? I can feel myself start to cry so I take a deep breath and calm myself down. I leave the bathroom and feel as if everyone is staring at me. I think I made a mistake coming to this party. I don't fit in.

"Is everything OK, Ana?" Christian asks me.

"Actually, I'm not feeling well. I think I am going to head home."

"I'll drive you."

"That's OK. I'll just call a cab."

"Don't be ridiculous, Ana. I picked you up, I'll drop you off at home. Are you sure there isn't something else?"

"Yeah, I'm sure. Thanks." It is a quiet ride back to my house. Christian pulls the car up in front of the building.

"Are you sure you're alright?" He looks at me with concern in his eyes.

"Yes. Thank you, Christian."

"Wait, Ana. Good luck in New York. Don't be a stranger."

"I won't. Thank you for being a good friend."


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

 **CPOV**

I can't help feeling something is wrong with Ana. Maybe she's nervous about going to New York. I am sad to see her go but it isn't forever and it is a good opportunity for her.

I get back to my parents' house and Mia's party. As soon as I walk back into the tent, Mia comes running up to me. "Christian! I'm so glad you're here."

"I just went to drop Ana off at home. She wasn't feeling well."

"Oh, I was worried you were mad."

"Why would I be mad?"

"I overheard Lily and the other girls talking trash about Ana. As soon as I heard what they were saying, I put an end to it. They're just jealous."

"What were they saying about Ana?"

"They called her trashy and said you are probably only friends with her as a charity." Mia rolls her eyes in disgust.

"Where were they talking about her?"

"I heard them outside the bathrooms. Apparently, they had been talking trash all night."

"Shit."

"What?"

"Mia. I have to go. I'm sorry… Happy birthday." I turn around and run to get my car before Mia even has a chance to process what just happened. I am willing to bet Ana overheard those bitches talking about her.

I get back into my car and head towards Ana's place. I have to talk to her before she leaves for New York and let her know that I don't think what Mia's friends said are true and neither do most people. They probably _are_ jealous. I don't want my first normal friendship to end like this.

* * *

 **APOV**

I'm at the house alone. Kate is still at Mia's party and José is out on a date. I look at the time and realize it's not too late on the east coast to call Hollis.

"Hello?"

"Hi."

"Ana, hey. What's up?"

"Will you still be able to pick me up at the airport tomorrow?"

"I'm sorry, babe. I have to work. I'll text you the address of the bar. My place is above it so you can drop your things off and come visit me."

"Oh, I was hoping to have some alone time with you. I haven't seen you in a while and I miss you."

"I know. I'll make it up to you, OK? Text me when you land."

"OK. Bye. I love you."

"Bye."

I have a nagging feeling about this job and going to New York and I don't know why. It's a great opportunity, good money, and I'll get to see Hollis. I push the feeling to the back of my mind and finish packing my makeup in the travel case I have. Luckily, I was able to fit everything in a carry-on suitcase so I can have it with me instead of checking it. I look down at my one suitcase and my makeup case. This is me, packed into just one suitcase. I know I'm coming back in a few weeks but it feels different from that.

At least I know in New York I won't be thought of as different or trashy. I will probably be too sedate for the city. I've never been to New York so I am excited to see it and experience everything it has to offer.

Suddenly there's a knock on the door. I don't know who would be coming here now. I wonder if José locked himself out again. I open the door expecting him but instead it's Christian.

"Christian? Is everything OK?" He looks shaken up.

"No."

"What's wrong?"

"Ana, I know you overheard Mia's friends talking about you. Is that why you wanted to leave tonight?"

I can feel myself start to cry again so I take another deep breath. "Christian, I don't really want to talk about that."

"They're wrong you know. I don't think that way about you and I know Elliot and Mia don't either."

"Christian, I know I look different especially compared to Mia's friends. And I know it can be a little much for some people. I was stupid to think that I could just fit in like that. I never fit in anywhere - it's probably I was drawn to get my tattoos in the first place. I just don't belong in your world of fancy balls and expensive cars." Christian walks into the house more and runs his hands through his hair.

"Ana, you're wrong. Why can't you see that? You're funny and smart, and beautiful. Every time we hang out together I have a good time - a truly good time. You're the first person who I feel like is a true friend."

I start to cry. Tonight seemed like a fairytale and I was Cinderella at the ball. But this time midnight struck much sooner. "Christian, you don't have to say those things to make me feel better. I'm used to being different. I always was. I always will be."

Christian steps closer to me so he can look me in my eyes. His eyes are a shiny steel color. They're intense. "I mean it. God, Ana. If I didn't want to spend time with you, I wouldn't. It's that simple."

"Christian… stop." He looks down at me and wipes the tears from my cheeks with his thumbs. He leans down and gently kisses me. The kiss is strong but gentle and I return it.

The realization of what I am doing comes to me and I break away.

"I'm sorry, Ana. I shouldn't have done that." Christian explains.

"No, I shouldn't have. I love Hollis. I can't do that to him. I'm sorry, Christian."

"Don't be sorry. I'm going to go now. I'll see you when you come back. Travel safe."

"Thank you, Christian. Goodbye." That night I lie in bed confused by what happened tonight. That kiss felt - right. It's probably just because I'm nervous about New York.

It's about 4 in the afternoon New York time. It's been a long travel day and the traffic and busyness of the airport are intimidating. After picking up my suitcase at baggage claim, I head outside to get a taxi. I give the taxi driver the address to The Knot & Clover, the bar where Hollis works.

A $65 cab ride later, I arrive at the bar. I walk in through the large wooden doors and I see him. The bar is dimly lit except for a light hanging over the bar shining down on Hollis. I've missed him. He looks up and sees me.

"Hey, babe! You made it." He walks over to me."Let's take your things upstairs."

I follow him through the bar and up some worn wooden steps. He opens the door to a small and shabby studio apartment. He smiles at me. "Home sweet home."

"Where should I put these?" I ask motioning to my bags.

"You can just put them by the wall there. I have to go back to work do you want to come down and hang out?"

"Actually, I am pretty tired. I think I'm just going to relax up here. Is that all right?"

"Sure. I'll see you after my shift." He kisses me on the cheek and heads out closing the door behind himself. There's only a futon in here so I open it up to relax. I take out my phone and text Ray, Kate, and José to let them know I arrived safely. I feel like I am a world away from everything I know - not just another city. I am truly alone here. It's my first night in New York and outside it sounds thrilling and lively, but I'm in this apartment by myself.

Milk crates are precariously stacked in place of dressers so I leave my things in my suitcase. I look around and there's not much here. There's the futon, milk crates, a small table with two chairs, and an armchair. There isn't even a tv.

I'm not sure what to do with myself but my nervous energy won't allow me to sleep. So instead I play some music on my phone and clean the small kitchen from top to bottom. After I've exhausted myself from cleaning, I fall asleep on the futon until 5 in the morning when I am woken up by Hollis just coming in the door. The bar closes at 2 in the morning, why does he have to work three extra hours?

I'm too tired to think about that so I push it out of my mind and just relish the feeling of laying here in Hollis' arms. Quickly, I fall back to sleep.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

 **APOV**

I've been in New York for about a week and a half. The city is so crazy and fun. I don't think you could ever get bored here. I've met some really cool people on set and when we have a break they show me around and we have a great time.

One night they took me to Queen of the Night at the Diamond Horseshoe at the Paramount Hotel. It was like a circus meets dinner theater meets a burlesque show. They even had suckling pig carved table-side on the menu. It was so much fun and I was glad I didn't have to drive there because I got a bit tipsy.

"Hey, Ana. What will it be this morning?" Tom the caterer asks me. He's really nice and very funny. He's been basically feeding me the entire time I'm here. When we wrap for the day he even sends me home with a meal. Everyone calls him 'Uncle Tom'.

"Hi, Tom! I'll have some pancakes this morning." Tom makes the best food I have ever eaten and he's quick too.

"Blueberries?"

"Hmm… do you have bananas?"

"Anything for you, Ana." I sit with Chuck, the Wardrobe Stylist, and Mary, one of the Production Assistants. Word on set is we're going to get a long weekend soon. I hope so. I'm feeling a little homesick and I miss Kate and José, so I was hoping to maybe go home for a weekend.

"Ana, do you and your boyfriend want to come with us to Gallow Green tonight?" Mary asks me.

"I would love to but Hollis is working tonight." It seems like I should just have that line recorded so I don't have to say it over and over again. I feel like I see him and talk to him less now than when we were across the country from each other.

"He's always working, honey. You need a backup or something." Chuck tells me. I don't know if his dating advice is sound, but it is funny. After the shoot is done for the day I head home excited to see Hollis. If I hurry, I might be able to catch him before his shift starts.

When I get back to the apartment, I'm disappointed to see he's started work early. I decide to go downstairs to get a drink and see him. I get down to the bar and it's packed. It looks like there is a band setting up and they must have brought a crowd.

"Hey." I greet him as I take a seat at the bar.

"Oh, babe, I'm glad you're here. I have to work late tonight due to the band so don't wait up for me. But, I have off work tomorrow night."

"Well, then I'll just grab a kiss goodnight and let you do your thing." He gives me a chaste kiss and I head upstairs. I'm disappointed I'll have another night alone but I am excited to be able to have tomorrow night to spend with him.

* * *

All day long at work the next day I kept thinking about how excited I am to spend time with Hollis. The day dragged on and on. Finally, filming has ended for the day and I can't get home fast enough.

I run up the steps to the apartment and take them two at a time. I open the door to the apartment and Hollis is standing by the kitchen counter. He gives me a big hug. "I am so glad to see you!" I say as Hollis wraps me in his arms.

"Babe, hurry up and get changed, we can meet everyone at Stella's for pizza."

"Stella's? We're going out tonight?"

"Of course. Why wouldn't we?"

"Well, I thought we could have a quiet night in - just the two of us."

"Isn't that what you always do? I don't get to spend time with my friends."

"You see your friends every night at work. We haven't had any alone time with just the two of us since I came here."

"You know, I thought when you asked to stay with me while you work here that we would have fun. I didn't expect to live like an old married couple!" Hollis yells, startling me.

"I wanted to stay with you because I love you and I thought you wanted me to come here." Suddenly, Hollis grabs my arm hard.

"Hollis, let go you're hurting me! Stop!" Scalding tears sting the back of my eyes.

"You can stay here. I'm going out." He violently slams the door shut as he leaves. I lie in bed and cry until I fall into a restless sleep.

It's late, I don't know what time but I am woken up by Hollis climbing into bed next to me. "Hollis?"

"Shhh… Babe, I am so sorry. I was an asshole and didn't mean it. Tell me you forgive me." His eyes are pleading with me, searching my face for a sign of exculpation.

"I forgive you."

"I love you, Ana. Tomorrow we'll spend the entire day together, just the two of us."

"OK." I drift off to sleep in his arms.

In the morning, Hollis and I take about a 15-minute walk to Grey Dog. It's gorgeous outside and I am happy we live where we can walk places. After the late night, we both order strong coffee. I have the egg and cheese on a croissant and Hollis has the Grey Dog Breakfast. It was a lot of food but very good.

Then we walk about 5 minutes to the Chelsea Market. There are so many unique shops here ranging from bakeries to basket shops. The window shopping is amazing. There is some really great art at Artists and Fleas and the bread from Davidovich smells divine.

After the Chelsea Market, we walk the crowded sidewalks filled with New Yorkers in the hustle and bustle of their everyday activities and tourists taking in the city for all they can until we reach the Strand Bookstore. I look over at Hollis with a smile on my face, he sweetly smiles back and opens the door gesturing for me to go in. They have so many books here, I am amazed. I walk up to the 3rd floor home to their rare and collectible books. They have first editions, limited editions, and signed copies. Some of them cost almost $10,000. I see a 1928 edition of The Canterbury Tales in beautiful condition. The leather is still soft and it has that wonderful old book smell. I ask the staff person behind the desk how much it costs. When she replies with $225 I decided that I am making good money with this job and while I am saving my pay, I can afford to spoil myself just this once.

All in all, it was a wonderful day. Hollis works tonight so when he leaves I decide to look at my new purchase. It's beautiful. My phone rings and I see it's Christian. I haven't spoken with him since the night before I left. Things were left awkward with us.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Ana. How is the big apple treating you?"

"It's cool. I've even had some time off to do sightseeing. I was at the neatest bookstore today. They had an enormous rare book section so I splurged and bought a 1928 edition of The Canterbury Tales."

"I'm glad you are taking some time to spoil yourself. You deserve it. I called because I have a meeting in the city later this week and I thought we could get together for a drink or something."

"Yeah, that sounds great."

"My schedule is pretty flexible so let me know when you and your boyfriend are available."

"OK, he's at work now so I'll talk to him when he comes home and text you. Will that be OK?"

"Great. I'll talk to you soon. Take care, Ana."

"Bye, Christian."

It will be nice to see a friend from home. I'm surprised by how much I've missed him. My co-workers have been very welcoming to me but it's not the same.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

 **CPOV**

It's Friday evening. I had my meeting with the CEO of Ridge Technologies today so I have a few days to myself. Ana has the weekend off so hopefully, we can spend some time together. Elliot said Kate really misses her.

I've made reservations for the three of us at 44 ½. It has a diverse menu and I have never had a meal here I didn't like. I'm seated at the table waiting for them to arrive and am sipping my Les Champs Clos Sancerre. Taylor has accompanied me on this trip so I don't have to worry about driving; I don't think I'd want to drive around the city sober let alone with some alcohol in me.

I see Ana walk in the door and the hostess shows her to the table. She's alone. I stand and greet her. "Ana, is it just you?"

Her head is down and she meekly replies, "Yeah, Hollis had to work."

She sits down and is holding the menu up to read it. "Do you know what you'd like to eat?"

"I'll have the roasted organic chicken." She takes a sip of the glass of wine I had brought over for her.

The waiter comes for our order. "The lady would like the roasted organic chicken and I will have the grilled north Atlantic salmon." Dinner is great as Ana tells me about her job and her co-workers on set. I catch her up with everything going on in Seattle.

"Oh, I miss home. It's fun here but it's not the same." She says, her voice laced with melancholy.

"Ana, are you OK? Is something wrong?" Her eyes widen as she looks at me.

She shakes her head but is unconvincing. "No, everything is fine." I know something is wrong but I won't press the issue with her, at least not in the restaurant. We finish dinner and get in the SUV headed towards Chelsea where Hollis' apartment is. We get out in front of the bar underneath a street light.

I look at her and I see her lip looks split. "What happened to your lip?"

She reaches up and touches it. "You know, I'm klutzy. That's all." I study her face to see if I can figure out what is wrong with her when I see what looks like bruising on her cheek.

"Anastasia, is that a bruise on your cheek?" It's faint and she did a good job of covering it up but in the direct light I know it's there.

"Um… well…" And just by the way she responds, I know what happened and I am immediately filled with rage.

"Did he do this to you? Has Hollis hit you?" I try to keep my voice low so I don't cause a scene.

"He didn't mean it. Things just got a little out of hand. He promised he wouldn't do it again."

"What the fuck? He should _never_ put his hands on you like that! That scumbag needs to be taught a lesson." I reply to her menacingly - I am so angry I can barely keep myself together.

"Christian, please! Don't do anything." She has tears running down her face.

"Ana, I'm just going to talk to him. Stay here." I march into the bar and luckily it isn't crowded.

The bartender looks up at me, "Hey bro, want a drink?"

"Are you Hollis?" I say through clenched teeth. My heart is pumping and I can feel the adrenaline racing through my body.

"Yeah, who's asking?"

I don't bother answering him and instead, walk straight up to the bar and behind it. I grab him by his shirt collar and hold him off the floor. "Let me just make myself clear here; ever lay a hand on Ana again like that and you _will_ need to be worried about who I am."

I let go of him and he smirks at me. _Asshole_. "So, you must be the Christian who is in love with Ana. What I do with _my_ girlfriend is none of your business."

"It's my business when you hurt her. You don't deserve her. She's too good for you."

"You want her? You can have her. I nail enough chicks anyway. My sloppy seconds are up for grabs. Just don't try to bring her back when she gets clingy and annoying." Hollis has the nerve to laugh.

"Do you mean that?" We hear behind us. I turn around to see Ana standing there. I don't know how much she's heard but however much was too much. "Hollis?" Her voice is eerily calm and quiet.

"Look, babe. It was fun, but I realized that I don't want anything holding me down. Ya know?" I can't believe I am hearing this. He has the nerve to break up with her in front of me like this. Thankfully, the patrons left the bar when I first went up to him. His so-called friends don't have his back apparently.

"No, I don't." Her voice cracks and she runs to the back of the bar and up the steps. I assume that's where the apartment is. I nod to Taylor who is standing by the front door and I go after Ana.

Before I head up, I see Taylor slowly turn around, close the door, and turn the locks. Hollis is going to regret waking up today. I ascend up the decrepit and narrow steps with my shoulders almost touching the drab gray walls. I get to the door and it's shut but I can hear moving inside.

I knock, "Ana? It's Christian. Please open the door." I don't know what else to say.

The door opens and there stands Ana with puddles of tears in her eyes and mascara running down her cheeks. "Ana. I'm so sorry. I didn't want you to get hurt."

"It wasn't your fault, Christian. I thought he loved me and now I have nowhere to go. I'm so angry with myself that I didn't see it sooner. I must look like such an idiot."

"No. Ana, you are a loving and kind person who wants to see the best in everyone. That doesn't make you an idiot. That makes him an even bigger asshole for hurting you like he has."

And, in a move I don't expect, Ana hugs me burying her face in my chest. I stiffen at first but then I realize that I'm OK. I can do this "Thank you, Christian. You are a true friend."

"You're welcome. Let's get your things packed. Taylor is waiting for us outside." Hopefully with Hollis in less-than-stellar shape back at the bar.

"Christian, I can't. I don't have anywhere to go." Ana backs up and looks at me. It pains me to see her like this, so broken.

"Yes, you do. I have an apartment in the city. You can stay there as long as you like. Let's gather your things." About a half hour later Ana locks the apartment door behind us leaving her set of keys on the counter. "Do you have everything?" I ask.

"Yes. Thankfully I didn't pack much." I take the bags from her hands and we walk down to the car from the external stairs to avoid going through the bar.

We get to the SUV and Taylor is standing there waiting for us. There is not a hair out of place. "Everything OK, Taylor?"

"Yes. There shouldn't be any more… issues." Taylor is one person who I would not want as an enemy. Even for Special Ops, he is a badass.

"Thank you, Taylor," I say as I help Ana into the car and help put her bags in the back.


	13. Chapter 13

_Welcome to Chapter 13! It's a shorter one but I wanted to post it today since I thought it fitting that today is my 13th wedding anniversary. Enjoy!_

* * *

Chapter 13

 **APOV**

We pull up to a tall building on West 42nd Street. Taylor drops Christian and me off at the front while he parks the car and gets my bags. We get into the elevator and are quickly swept up to the 45th floor. I have never seen a building like this, let alone stay in one.

"Christian, this is amazing. This is your second home?"

He looks embarrassed, "Actually, it's my third. I bought my house in Aspen before I bought this."

"Wow."

"Let me take you to your room so you can unpack and get settled." He leads me to a bedroom near the master bedroom. It's huge and modern with white walls, black furniture, and gray accents. One entire wall is just windows. "I hope this is sufficient. Taylor will bring your bags up."

"Christian, sufficient is a complete understatement. It's downright opulent." I feel the soft down comforter on the bed. I don't think I've ever touched a bed so comfortable.

"I'll show you around." He takes me around the apartment and I am tempted to leave a trail of breadcrumbs so I can find my way back. The first place he takes me is the kitchen. "The kitchen is fully stocked and there is a housekeeper here during the week. You look like you haven't been eating enough, Ana. You need to eat."

I'm not sure how to respond to that. It seems out of character for someone like him. So, I just nod. He turns on the fireplace in the great room after he shows me the rest of the apartment. "Christian, this apartment is beautiful. You must like living here."

"I don't spend a lot of time here, I'm afraid. And when I do it's usually for business. Would you like some scotch?"

"Sure." I follow him into the kitchen mostly because I don't know what to do with myself. I sit down on one of the stools at the kitchen island. He hands me a crystal tumbler of Highland Park 30 Scotch. It warms me from the inside and helps calm my nerves. He asks me about working on set so I tell him the stories of my friends Tom, Chuck, and Mary. He laughs with me as I tell him the stories - especially of Chuck who is larger than life and always seems to bring the party with him.

Christian tells me about the antics of Kate, Elliot, and José. I talk to Kate a couple times a week but it's not the same as being there with her. Apparently, José and Kate got into a huge argument because they saw Macklemore out at a bar and Kate wouldn't allow José to go and talk to him because she said he would embarrass her. I laugh as he tells me the story, "she's right. José can be very embarrassing. How is Mia?"

He smiles at me. "She's doing well. The other day she was telling me that her friend, Lily, who is a complete snot, had a huge fit in front of everyone because her parents didn't buy her the exact model BMW she wanted so they took it away from her. And then, her boyfriend broke up with her because she didn't have a car. I don't know why Mia was friends with her. Mia has stopped talking to her and told her she's a superficial bitch."

I think to myself how karma can be a bitch when Christian looks at me, "Miss Steele, is there a reason you're smirking like that?"

I get embarrassed and can feel myself blush. "Oh, um, no…"

He grins at me, "Don't worry, I was thinking the same thing. She kind of got what was coming to her." We both erupt with laughter. Before we know it, almost the entire bottle of scotch is gone.

"It's late, I should get to bed," I say after a yawn. I didn't realize how late it got. Good thing I have two days off work.

"Do you remember where your room is?" Christian asks.

I start to laugh, "No. This place is too big."

Christian laughs too, "Here, I'll show you." He walks me to the room and we stand at the doorway.

I look up at him, "thank you, Christian. For everything." Suddenly, I don't know what goes through my mind but I step up on my tiptoes and I kiss him. He returns my kiss and I run my hands through his hair.

He kisses me passionately, "Oh, Ana…" I walk backward in his arms where we both land on the bed. We are kissing as if it is our last day on earth.

In between kisses I confess, "Christian, I want you."

He kisses down my throat to my chest and unbuttons my shirt slowly, his lips trailing down my body as he does. He takes off my pants and underwear. "Ana, you are so beautiful." Gently he reaches behind me and unhooks my bra and slides it off.

I go to take his shirt off but before I can, he grabs my hands and holds them above my head. He kisses me once more and takes off first his shirt and then his pants. He lays on top of me with his weight supported by his arms and kisses me tenderly. "Are you sure you want to do this?" He asks me with luminous eyes.

"Yes, Christian." He thrusts into me with urgency and eagerness. There are no other sounds except for our breaths and moans of pleasure. His hands are in my hair and move down my body from my throat to my breasts, and down to my stomach. Pleasure runs through my body and I give in to it, having the best orgasm of my life. Christian comes soon after I do and collapses on top of me.

We make love a few more times that night until we have no more energy. I lay in his arms unable to move still feeling a little drunk. Christian is tracing my tattoo on my back from my hip diagonally up my back to my shoulder. His fingers lightly glide up and down my skin.

"I didn't know your tattoo goes from your hip like this."

"Mmmhmm…" is all I can manage to reply.

He laughs. "I like it. Your skin is soft." He whispers as he kisses my neck. He holds me close to him and I fall asleep. Even after what happened today I sleep soundly in Christian's arms.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

 **CPOV**

I wake up and am at first confused until I realize where I am. I am in my New York apartment with Ana. She's fast asleep in my arms and looks so beautiful it almost seems fake. It's still early, barely 5 in the morning. I quietly slip out of bed and go change into my running clothes. On the way back from my run, I pass a little cafe and decide to bring Ana back some breakfast. It's just about 6 am when I get back to the apartment. We had a late night and a lot of scotch so I don't think she will be awake yet.

I get in and the apartment is still and quiet. I go into my bedroom, strip off my sweaty clothes and take a quick shower. I am out of the shower and dressed within a few minutes. I can't wait any longer so I take the coffee and scones I got for Ana and bring them up to her room. I pause to take in her beauty just a little bit before lean down and gently kiss her.

Her eyes quickly spring open shining bright blue. Ana smiles shyly at me. "Good morning, beautiful. I've brought you some coffee and breakfast." She sits up in the bed and takes the cup of coffee.

"Thank you. Do you always get up this early on a Saturday?" She asks as she takes a sip.

"Usually, yes. I normally don't sleep well. Except for last night. I slept remarkably well for some reason."

"It was probably the bottle of scotch we drank." She teases me. Something tells me the scotch isn't why I slept well.

"Speaking of which, how are you feeling?" I ask her although she looks well.

"Surprisingly, I feel fine."

That makes me happy. "Good because we have plans."

Her face brightens, "Plans? What kind of plans?" Her excitement increases mine. I like that I can plan things to do with her and I can spoil her. She deserves it.

"First, we are going to have some fun around the city. Then I am taking you shopping for a dress, and then I have reservations for dinner."

"Shopping for a dress, why?" She asks me with her blue eyes wide.

"Well, for one, I want to spoil you, and two, I don't think you packed a dress, did you?"

"No."

I give her my megawatt smile, "See? Now come on, or I'll spank you."

* * *

 **APOV**

I'm excited to be spending the day with Christian. I change into my distressed jeans, burgundy lace mix camisole top, and black strappy sandals. I leave my hair down but bring a ponytail holder with me just in case.

I walk out to the great room to see Christian. He is wearing jeans that hang deliciously low on his hips and a black t-shirt. He turns around and smiles when he sees me. "Is this OK to wear? I don't have anything too dressy."

"You're perfect, Ana. Are you ready?" He asks me as he holds out his hand.

"Ready as I'll ever be." I smile at him and his returning smile just melts me. We get outside the building and there are a horse and carriage. The driver is standing by the carriage to help us get in. "Welcome, Mr. Grey and Miss Steele." I smile and thank him as he helps me up.

"Are you comfortable, Ana? Do you need anything?" Christian asks me, ever the gentleman.

"This is perfect, thank you, Christian." He leans down and gives me a chaste kiss on my lips. The carriage ride is so romantic. I have never done anything like this before. The carriage driver takes us through Central Park. It's hard to realize this beautiful park is in the middle of the bustling city. We pass by the carousel, the boat pond, Strawberry Fields, and Columbus Circle. It's a wonderful way to get to see the city.

When our carriage ride is over, he helps me down and leads me to a waiting car. "Where are we going?" I ask him.

"To get you something to wear to dinner tonight. Since dinner is my idea, I don't want you to pay for anything. I also don't want you to complain or not get something. OK?" He sounds so authoritative it makes me giggle.

"Yes, Sir." I joke with him. Before he looks away, I see a hint of a smile cross his lips.

The car arrives at Neiman Marcus and Christian gets out, walks around the car, and opens the door for me. Sometimes when he does things like this he seems so much older than he really is. But, I'm not complaining.

Christian won't even let me entertain the idea of paying for a dress or shoes. I'm not used to that. It takes a while but I finally pick a Tom Ford dress that's black with long sleeves and a scoop back. It hugs my curves but isn't too tight. I pick out a hot pair of peep toe black-to-red dégradé heels from Christian Louboutin. I won't let Christian see me until we are ready to go. I can tell he's frustrated but I want to surprise him.

I get ready back at Christian's apartment where I put on the dress and shoes. I put my hair up so he can see my whole back and I have black winged eyeliner and red lipstick. Satisfied with my look I walk to the living room where Christian is waiting for me. He looks devilishly handsome in a dark gray suit.

"Wow, Ana…" Christian smiles at me and his eyes get larger as he is taking me in.

"You like?" I ask turning around so he can see all of me - especially my back.

"Like? I don't think like is the appropriate word." He walks up to me, places his hands on my hips, and whispers into my ear, "You're lucky we have reservations or you wouldn't make it out of this apartment."

The thought of it, makes my heart starts beating faster and faster. Has he always had this effect on me? Maybe I am just starting to notice it now.

We end up at Daniel, a swanky restaurant on the Upper East Side. We dine in the Skybox, an exclusive dining area that gives us a bird's-eye view of the chef's kitchen. We order the tasting menu prepared specially for us by Daniel Boulud himself.

"More champagne?" Christian asks me.

"Please. You know you don't have to ply me with champagne, I'm already going home with you."

"Good, because seeing your naked back all night has made me want to get you completely naked in my bedroom." His voice is low and seductive.

"You should get the check now, then."

"All in due time, Anastasia."


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

 **APOV**

I have had a wonderful weekend with Christian. But, he has to go back to Seattle while I still have a week left of filming. "Are you sure it's OK if I stay here in your apartment?"

He gives me a tender smile with his eyes crinkling at the corners, "I wouldn't have it any other way. The housekeeper is here during the week so if you need anything at all please let Mrs. Moyer know. You can let her know your schedule and she can have dinner for you as well. You look like you haven't been eating much while you have been here." He wants me to eat more? That's… strange. I have never had someone aside from my grandmother and Ray tell me that.

I don't really like the idea of someone doing all that for me. I'm not used to it. So I just respond with a casual, "OK."

He narrows his eyes at me. "I mean it, Ana. That is why she is here. Promise me you will let her take care of you while you are here."

I'm confused as to why this is so important to him; but, I humor him anyway. It seems very important to him given the urgency in his voice. "I promise. Is that better?"

This time, he gives me a smile so big all his teeth are showing and then gives me a sweet kiss, "Yes. You also have a driver to take you wherever you need to go. Now, just let me know when you will be ready to fly home and I'll have the jet ready for you. I'll call you when I am back in Seattle. Laters, baby."

I smile at him but in the back of my mind I can't help but feel like a demimonde like Becky Sharp or Marguerite Gautier. Everything is in control with him, it's like he doesn't leave anything up to chance. I watch him walk away from me; leaving me here alone, in this palatial apartment with a housekeeper and driver. I feel unnerved, not like how I felt when I overheard Mia's friends talking about me, but different. I feel almost like I need to make a choice. A life with Christian, like this, or a life being the strong, independent woman Ray tried to raise me to be and not have Christian in my life. He doesn't seem to like to compromise.

Throughout the week, we work on set 14 hours a day so filming can wrap on Saturday. I'm exhausted and excited at the same time. I barely have a chance to think about everything that has happened. My head is spinning from everything - coming to New York, Hollis, the break-up with Hollis, and Christian.

My life suddenly feels like a soap opera. I don't know how to feel about or react to what happens when something else happens on top of it. I can't keep up. I had a wonderful weekend with Christian. But, was it just that? Did we act without thinking, swept up in what happened? Would it be the same once we were back to the real world?

I stare out the window of his opulent apartment overlooking the city. This is a view so few people have. Eight million people live in this city and I feel truly alone. I just need time. I need time to think - think about what happened, who I am, and what I want. I loved Hollis; at least I thought I did. It makes me question whether or not I genuinely know what love is. All I know is I don't want to make the same mistake with Christian that I obviously made with Hollis. But, how can I do that when I'm not even sure how I feel about things and what is going on.

* * *

 **CPOV**

I didn't really have a chance to talk to Ana much this past week. However, I have checked in with Mrs. Moyer who told me Ana has been working very long hours so she pretty much comes home, eats something, and then goes to sleep.

Just to be on the safe side I also have eyes on Hollis for the remainder of the time Ana is in New York. He doesn't do much except work at the bar. Occasionally, he has gone to get some food but not much else. As long as he stays away from Ana, I don't care what he does. Though I would prefer it if he took a long walk off a short pier.

Her plane is due to land in about an hour so Taylor and I head out to Sea-Tac to meet her there. I've missed her - a lot. I have never felt like this about someone. I have never wanted to be with someone like I do with Ana. I don't know what is in store for us but I do know I don't want to lose her and I will do everything I can to avoid that from happening.

I wait with Taylor in the SUV as the jet taxis in off the runway. When the door opens and the steps are brought to the door, I exit the car and head over to get my girl. I can't wait so I ascend the steps. She is beautiful - like an oasis in the desert. She's standing and collecting her things and doesn't even see me there. As she shrugs on a hoodie she looks up and sees me. A genuinely happy smile spreads across her face and I can't help but mirror it.

I walk over to her and embrace her in my arms. "Hey, baby. How was the flight?" I don't really want to let her go. She's mine.

"It was good, but I am exhausted." She looks at me and her cerulean eyes sparkle but I can see she does look drained. She's been working too hard and traveling on top of it.

"That would be the time difference. Come. Let me get you fed and then take you home. I thought we could have a bath and then relax together for the rest of the evening." I hold my hand out for her to take.

She looks at me confused with her brow furrowed, "You're going to stay with me at my place?"

I laugh, "No, we'll go back to my place. Is that OK?"

She looks at me disheartened. "Oh, I was hoping to go back to my place to see everyone and be home after being away for so long."

"Of course, we can do that. But I am still going to take you to get something to eat. What are you hungry for?"

"You know, I haven't had any teriyaki the entire time I was in New York." I can't help but laugh at her choice.

"Of all the places and restaurants in Seattle, you want teriyaki?" I tease her.

"What's wrong with teriyaki?" I can't help smile at her. Anyone else would have picked the most expensive restaurant they could think of. I don't think any of my submissives would have stuck around as long as they did if I hadn't given them lavish gifts.

"Absolutely nothing. If you want teriyaki, that is what you'll have." I turn and talk to Taylor, "Taylor, please take Miss Steele and me to Toshio's off of Rainier Avenue."

"Yes, Mr. Grey."

"So, Miss Steele…" I ask as I turn to face Ana.

"Yes, Mr. Grey?" I smile and shake my head at her.

"Would you like to eat in or take it to go?"

"Would you mind if we got it to go?"

"Not at all. Whatever you want." I pick up her hand and kiss it making her blush. We arrive at the restaurant and Taylor goes in to pick up our order of chicken and salmon teriyaki. I pull her close to me and give her a chaste kiss. "I am so glad you are home. I was thinking maybe you should have some clothes you keep at my place. We can go shopping tomorrow." A sullen look creeps across her face but before she has a chance to say anything Taylor is back with our food and we head off in the direction of Ana's place. She quietly returns to her seat and buckles her seatbelt. Something is off.

We get to Ana's place and it's completely dark. We are the only ones here. She goes into the kitchen to get some silverware and I follow her in. "Ana, what's wrong?"

She stills and for a few long moments doesn't say anything then she turns around with a grave look etched onto her beautiful face. "Christian, I think we need to talk." Is it that bad?

I am dumbstruck, "Talk about what?"

Quietly she just responds, "Us."


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

 **APOV**

Christian's face immediately gets ashen and my heart sinks.

His lips settle in a hard line but his eyes give him away as they get wide with worry. "What about us?"

"Don't you think this is all so fast like maybe we should slow things down a bit?"

"But I know I want to be with you so why should we take it slow if you feel the same was as I do? Why is that a bad thing? I'm just very decisive." This isn't going to be easy and the worst part is I feel so conflicted.

"It's just… I just ended things with Hollis and you just got out of a relationship. It's very overwhelming. I haven't had a chance to breathe." I don't feel the conviction of what I am saying.

"Am I smothering you?"

"No, but I haven't had any time to think about what happened in New York - all of it. What happened with Hollis and us. I don't know how to feel or what to think."

"Do you still want to be with Hollis? After everything he's done to you?"

"No, but my feelings for him were very real and I can't just turn them off. I was with him for a long time and even though he was an asshole… I don't know. I can't explain how I feel."

"I thought you feel the way about me as I do you."

"Christian, I do. I like you a lot but…" I pause trying to think of what I want to say. _Do I tell him I am scared of getting hurt and then having to see him with Kate and Elliot? Do I tell him I am worried that we have nothing in common and one day he will just get tired of me or have someone better come along?_

"But what, Ana?" Christian's shock is wearing off and turning into anger. The vein in his necking is popping out a little and his jaw in clenched.

"But I need time. I need time to think about everything that's happened and what I want."

"Fine. I'll give you time." He turns around to leave.

"Christian, please, don't leave." He turns to look at me and his gray eyes radiate anger.

"What do you want, Ana? Do you even know? You tell me you need time to _think_ and then you ask me not to leave." His voice is getting louder and I can see the tension in the way he is balling up his fists. It scares me.

I step back, confused by his vitriol towards me. I look down trying to resist the urge to cry. He says nothing, turns and walks quickly out the door slamming it shut behind him. After I hear the door latch shut, I can't hold the tears any longer. What have I done? Did I just let one of the best things to ever happen to me walk out the door? Things happened so quickly in New York and I don't want that to ruin our friendship but I'm afraid it already has. I tried to be honest and tell him how I feel. I could have just gone along and used him but I don't want to do that to him.

I'm exhausted both mentally and physically so I go to bed. I try not to think about what just happened. I have a pounding headache and quite honestly, I'm sick of crying. Between Hollis and Christian, I think all I do is cry. I'm too tired, and too emotional to think clearly.

I wake up the next morning feeling like I was hit by a semi-truck. I'm not sure where José is but there is a note from Kate on the table welcoming me home and letting me know she's at work. I slept really shitty last night. Our conversation kept playing in my head over and over.

I decide I need to call Christian to apologize for last night. Maybe now that a few hours have gone by and he has had time to calm down we can talk and sort this out. I call his cell and it goes to voicemail.

"Christian, it's Ana. I want to talk about last night. Please, call me."

He doesn't call me back so I spend the morning unpacking and organizing the house in order to distract myself. The house is as clean and organized as it's going to get so I get in my car to head to the market for some groceries, there is nothing in the fridge except an expired yogurt and mustard. On my way, I pass Grey House and an idea hits me. I park in the garage below the building and head up to the lobby. In the elevator, I look at myself in the mirror. I'm wearing my worn sugar skull tank top with a red lace bralette peeking out from underneath, distressed jeans, and my black converse. Yikes… Maybe this isn't the best idea in the world. Well, I definitely don't fit in here that's for sure but I'm committed now.

I get to the main desk and an impeccably dressed blonde looks up at me and tries to hide her look of shock. "May I help you?" She has a gorgeous dress on that looks like it was made for her and there isn't a hair out of place on her head, but she is wearing a lot of makeup, I notice.

"Yes, um, I'm here to see Christian Grey." She looks me up and down once more.

"Do you have an appointment?" She's kind of snotty and I already don't like her.

"No, I'm his friend. Could you let him know Ana Steele is here? He knows me." She gives me a tight smile like she doesn't believe me and quietly makes a phone call.

"Someone will be right with you, Miss Steele," she tells me finally placated now she knows I really do know Christian. I wait a few minutes and look around the lobby. I pace around not sure what to do with myself while I wait. It's taking forever - at least it feels that way. Suddenly, I hear someone behind me clear his throat.

I turn and see Taylor in a crisp suit and perfectly shined shoes. "Oh, Taylor, hi. Are you going to take me up to see Christian?"

Taylor looks uncomfortable and shifts as he stands. His cheeks blush the littlest bit. "Miss Steele. Mr. Grey asked me to come down and let you know he doesn't want to see you." He clears his throat, clearly uncomfortable.

"What? Why?" In my head, I plead with myself not to cry as my lip quivers. I realize I said that loudly and am now a bit awkward.

"I'm sorry, Miss Steele." It's all he says to me. He looks like he's sorry for me but he isn't going to tell me anything more. This is all I am going to get from him.

"Right, thank you, Taylor." I turn and quickly leave to my car practically running. I am so embarrassed. I wish I could just poof myself home. Once I get in my car, the magnitude of how much I fucked this up hits me. He treated me like a princess and I threw it all away. I lost my chance and I lost my friend. This is the last thing I wanted to happen. This is exactly what I was afraid would happen.

* * *

 **CPOV**

Taylor returns to my office. "How was she?" I ask him, ignoring the spreadsheet I am currently working on.

"Sir, she seemed upset but she left." He says is calmly but seems very uncomfortable.

"Oh, thank you." Taylor leaves my office and I begin to feel guilty. I care about Ana, a lot. But she said she wanted time to think and I will give that to her. I can't believe she is still hung up on that asshole Hollis. I honestly thought she felt the same way about me. Well, I don't need to wait around and plead for someone to want to be with me. She had her chance. No one gets second chances. There is no reason for it.

This whole thing with Ana just proves I was right by removing any feelings with my relationships. I am not going to put all this time and effort into something and not get anything back from it. I text Taylor to let him know I would like him to schedule some interviews for a new submissive. This way we both know what is expected and are on the same page.

It only takes a few days for me to have some potential subs lined up. I have my first interview today at lunch. I am meeting Miss Christine Abbott at my club in Columbia Tower in a private dining room. I get there early and order us the beef tenderloin and a Bordeaux feeling quite ambivalent about this whole thing.

She walks in and is wearing a black pencil skirt, a white button-down blouse, and black Christian Louboutin heels. She's pretty enough with shoulder-length sorrel brown hair and tawny brown eyes. As she approaches the table I stand and pull out her chair.

"Thank you, Sir." Her eyes are cast down and she has the appropriate posture. The lunch goes well enough and she seems like she would make an excellent submissive. There isn't really anything that makes her stand out. She easily just blends in with everyone else. There isn't any reason to _not_ like her but, I'm not ready to make a decision yet. I want to see who else is available.

The following day, I meet Miss Jennifer Wright at The Metropolitan Grill. Like Miss Abbott, she keeps her eyes cast down and is wearing a lovely blue dress which compliments her deep brown eyes. She's nice too, and intelligent. However, I am still unable to decide. Nothing about Miss Wright has captured me. She seems so… boring.

That evening I head over to Elliot's to watch the Mariners game. I arrive and Elliot hands me a beer. We head to his family room where the game has just started. I sit down on his obnoxiously overstuffed couch and I can hear Kate arguing with someone in the other room.

I look at Elliot, wondering what is going on. He answers me, "Kate's talking to Ana and is pissed because Ana's dude came from New York and begged to get her back."

My heart rates quickens. What the fuck? I told him to leave her alone. I have to tell myself to keep calm so I don't flip out right here in front of Elliot. "You mean that Hollis guy?"

"Yeah, Kate hates him. She thinks he treats Ana like shit but Ana is thinking about going back to him for some reason. Kate thinks she is only going back to him because she has been miserable since she came back from New York."

"Miserable? What do you mean?"

"I don't know. Something must have happened in New York but she won't talk to Kate or José about it. She hasn't taken any new jobs despite the fact she has had a lot of requests. She just stays in her room. But Ana won't talk to anyone. She just brushes them off and tells them everything is fine. Even I notice she isn't her usual self."

"Shit." I didn't want her to be miserable. I thought she would move on. I thought this is what she wanted. She told me she wanted her space.

"Christian, do you know why she's upset? If you don't tell Kate, she'll fucking castrate you." Elliot sounds like a father trying to get his kid to admit something he did wrong.

I sigh. I hate this stuff. "Kate doesn't scare me but I know why Ana is upset."

"Christian, at least tell me. Kate and José are seriously worried about Ana. They don't know what to do."

I look back to make sure Kate isn't nearby. "Alright, I'll tell you but you have to promise me you won't say anything," I say quietly so I can't be heard by anyone else. I don't need this shit broad-casted all over.

"You're my brother. Of course, I won't say anything if you don't want me to."

"Alright, a week before Ana came back from New York I had to go there on business. We decided to meet up for dinner and she had bruises on her face and a split lip. She tried to play it off as nothing but it was obvious she was hit by someone. I freaked out and Taylor beat the shit out of Hollis. I don't know if he hit her before but I made sure he wasn't going to hit her again. Fucking scumbag. Anyway, she moved whatever things she had at his place into my apartment in the city and we hooked up one night after we had too much to drink. Things didn't work out." I shrug noncommittally like it's not a big deal.

"What do you mean things didn't work out?"

I'm starting to get annoyed. I came here to relax and watch the game. "When she came back she told me things were moving too fast and she wanted time to think. So I gave it to her."

"How?" He's going to make me spell it out and rehash everything - every little detail about how I was an ass to her. He's going to tell me I completely overreacted or something.

"I cut her off. She tried to call and even see me and I wouldn't talk to her. It's been a couple of weeks. She wanted space so she got it. She needs to make up her mind."

"Dude, do you like her?" I roll my eyes at him in exasperation. "Might as well tell me the rest of it."

"I guess. Yes. Are you happy now? The weekend I spent with her was the best of my life." I am irritated he made me admit that.

"So what are you going to do about it? You don't get very many chances at this." Suddenly he's Dr. Phil.

"There is nothing to do about it. She said I overwhelmed her." _Plain and simple._

"Well, she isn't a submissive of yours; Ana is different. She has been through a lot but that doesn't mean she can't care for you at the same time. Why don't you talk to her? I'm sure you guys can work it out."

"No, we had our chance and it didn't work out." Elliot laughs so I narrow my eyes at him. What makes him think he knows so much. I made myself clear to her about what I wanted.

"For someone who is supposed to be smart, you're an idiot. You know that? Do you want to be with Ana - not like one of your submissives?" Now the jerk is laughing at me.

"I don't know. I didn't think about it." I tell him curtly. _Get off my fucking back about this._

"You are a liar. You currently don't have a submissive and the reason is that you want to be with Ana. Don't worry, if people see you have feelings like a human being, it won't ruin your reputation. There are still other reasons why you're an asshole." Before I have a chance to say anything else, Kate storms into the room stomping over to us without any preamble.

"Ugh!" She plops down on the sofa next to Elliot.

"What's up?" Elliot asks her.

Kate groans in frustration. "It's Ana. I wish she would just be done with Hollis. She's getting ready to leave for the International Business Show in Las Vegas and the douche-bag shows up apologizing for something and begging her to take him back. I think she's letting him go with her to Vegas. He's probably just going for the free trip. He's such a jerk. It's like she feels like she doesn't deserve any better than that loser. I wish I could find someone for her so she would leave him once and for all."

Elliot just looks at me and grins; I give him my best 'fuck you' look.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

 **APOV**

Hollis came to Seattle and begged for me to take him back. He promised me he would change and that he loved me and made a mistake. That was the last thing I needed. I was still reeling from everything that happened with Christian and I was trying to get ready for the International Beauty Show in Las Vegas.

We are just about to take off. I have a window seat in coach where I look out the window to Seattle. It's cool and cloudy today, perfect weather for the Pacific Northwest. In just a few hours I will be in warm and sunny Vegas. It's kind of hard to believe that in a few hours, you can be in such a different place. Hopefully, I can leave all this drama behind. I put my earbuds in and start Green Light by Lorde. I lean my head back, close my eyes, and think about the conversation I had with Hollis.

For once, I stood up for myself. I'd rather be alone than with someone like him. I deserve better - I at least deserve better than him.

 _"Ana, please, I love you. I didn't mean to cheat on you. It was an accident!"_

 _"Hollis, cheating is not an accident. You can't trip and accidentally fall into someone's vagina! On top of that, you hit me. What kind of man hits a woman, let alone one he supposedly loves? You left marks on me."_

 _"Come on, Ana, we need to talk about it."_

 _"No, we don't. I gave you time to talk. I gave you too much time, in fact. Please don't contact me again. Goodbye."_

I smile and hug myself inwardly. I am still proud I stood up for myself like that. I'm done with him and if I have to be by myself in order to have respect for myself then I will. I exhale, relax, and let myself fall asleep for the rest of the flight. There is some peace in knowing I at least have done one right thing in my life. I'm just sorry it took me so long to see it.

We land at McCarran Airport and as we wait to taxi in I can see the waves of heat coming off the tarmac. I'm not sure I am ready for this weather. I normally prefer the cool refreshing weather of Washington. Luckily I just packed a carry-on bag so I don't have to go to the baggage claim. That would only add to my stress. I head out of the crowded terminal and into the blistering heat. Whoever said because it's a dry heat it's fine was a liar. It's stifling and it hits you right away.

I easily grab a taxi and it takes about 20 minutes to get to the Mardi Gras Hotel and Casino where I have booked my room. Everything in Vegas is so built up but just a few miles outside the city and it's stark desert where you can get lost and no one will find you. It's a scary thought. The hotel nothing fancy but it was the right price and I probably won't be in my room much anyway. I couldn't see paying hundreds of dollars to stay at one of the fancy hotels. I'll be at the convention center most of the time anyway. The lobby is bright and clean. There is a cheerful-colored vase of flowers next to the attendant. I check-in at the front desk and carry my bag up the steps to my room. It looks a bit run-down but it'll do and the nice woman at the front desk told me it's only a 5-minute walk to the Convention Center.

I'm hungry but don't feel like going anywhere busy so I walk a few minutes and get a sandwich to-go from the Ego Café in the lobby of the Renaissance Hotel. Unlike the Mardi Gras, the Renaissance is huge and chic with modern furnishings. I take my time walking back to the motel. My legs really need a stretch after sitting in the plane.

The sun feels good on my skin and before I know it, I am at my home for the next few days. I will have to make sure to get some sun while I am here. I get into my room. It's quiet, too quiet. I turn on the tv for background noise. Cops is on; I didn't even know this show was still around. I settle on the little sofa just about to eat my club sandwich and watch some trash tv when there's a knock on the door. It must be the maid with the extra pillow I asked for. That is the one thing this motel is lacking - there aren't enough pillows.

I open the door and am frozen.

"Christian? What are you doing here?" _What the fuck?_

"Kate told me where you'd be." He says as if that explains everything.

"OK, but why are you here?" This is so confusing and absurd.

"We need to talk, Ana."

"Right now? This couldn't wait until I am back home?" What could be so urgent he had to fly here to speak with me?

"No." He's not really giving me much to work with here.

"Then I guess you should come in." I hold the door open for him. He walks into the room and stops to look around.

"This is where you're staying?"

"Obviously." I can't hide my sarcasm. As I turn my back to him I roll my eyes. What am I doing here with him? I'm still hurt he wouldn't talk to me when I wanted to apologize. He just froze me out, but worse, because he couldn't even do it himself. He had to send his staff to do his dirty work.

"Is it safe?"

"Christian, that is not why you flew here to talk to me. Just get on with it." I am growing more and more frustrated. Why can't he just get to the point? He's always so cryptic.

He gives me a dirty look but I don't care. Just because he flew here under some misguided urgency doesn't mean I should bow at his feet. "Is he here?"

"Who?" What the hell is he talking about? Unnecessarily, I turn and look around the room.

"Hollis." Kate must not have told Christian about Hollis and me. When I recounted to her the conversation I had with Hollis, her excitement was palpable.

"No. I didn't want him to come with me."

"Are you back with him?"

"Christian, I don't see how that is any of your business - friend or not." Why is he giving me the third degree here? I feel like we're playing some twisted game of Twenty Questions.

"You shouldn't be with him."

"Why does it matter to you?"

"Are you back with him or not, Ana?"

Now he's making me mad. I was giving him a hard time when he first got here but now he wants to tell me who I should and shouldn't date? He didn't want to talk to me - he lost that opportunity. And who the Hell does he think he is, demanding I answer his questions. "Jesus Christ, Christian. Why do you care if I am with him or not? You made your feelings clear when you didn't return my calls and texts and when you made Taylor come down to tell me you didn't want to talk to me. Do you know how shitty that made me feel?"

"Ana…"

"Don't _Ana_ me. Why do you care who I am dating or not?" My voice inadvertently gets louder. I've opened the floodgates and it's all going to come out now.

"Because you should be with me? OK?" He looks at me in frustration and runs his hand through his hair.

Did I just hear that right? "What?" I ask almost automatically as I try to process what I just heard. What the fuck is going on?

His face softens. "I want you to be with me. I won't smother you. Just give me a chance."

"Christian, I just needed some time. That's all. I didn't mean I didn't want to be with you. I just wanted to take things slowly, you know? Everything happened so quickly. But, the weekend I spent with you was the best of my life. I let my stupid hang-ups and fears get in the way. I'm sorry."

"No, Ana. I'm sorry. I'm sorry for how I reacted when I should have been there for you, at least as a friend. And I'm sorry I came on so strong. I'm just not used to a relationship like this. I normally have more control with my…" He stops talking unwilling to finish his sentence. What is he hiding from me?

What does that even mean? "Christian, when I first met you, you told me you didn't really do the girlfriend thing. What did you mean by that?"

He motions for me to sit next to him and I immediately worry this is not going to be good. "Ana, I've never had a girlfriend before."

"Huh? I don't get it. You were in a relationship when we met."

"I was in a relationship but she wasn't my girlfriend. She was my submissive and I was her Dominant." Whoa. OK, I didn't expect that.

"Oh. So she did whatever you told her to even with sex stuff?" I know very little about that stuff.

"Yes."

"Is that what you want with me?" Holy crap.

"No. You're different. But I am out of my league here. I've never had vanilla sex before you."

"Vanilla sex?" What the hell is vanilla sex?

"Just plain sex. No toys or anything."

"Toys? Like handcuffs and blindfolds?" Hold on, maybe this could be fun.

"Yeah, among other things." He sees that I blush.

"What? You like handcuffs and blindfolds?"

"Well, I've never tried it but it does sound kind of hot."

He abruptly stands. "Can we get out of here? If we don't I'm going to want to jump you and we still have to talk." Jump me? Yes, please!

Suddenly I feel shy. "Can we talk after you jump me?"

His eyes enlarge. "Are you serious?" I just nod at him. Slowly. Why does he have to be so damn good looking? He swoops down and kisses me. Hard. I've wanted this. "Not here, Ana. Will you come with me to my hotel?" I am momentarily stunned from the kiss and my lips are tingling.

"But what about my stuff?" He's practically dragging me out of the room.

"Bring it."


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

 **CPOV**

It looks like Ana hasn't unpacked yet so she quickly gets her things together and I grab her bags from her. The elevator is painfully slow and I don't want to wait so I carry her bags down the steps. We get to the rental car where Taylor is waiting. He takes her bags from me saying nothing and I open the back door allowing Ana to get in first. It takes fifteen minutes to drive to the hotel where I am staying. She's quiet in the car which is making me nervous. I hope she isn't changing her mind.

I haven't been up to the suite yet but Taylor made sure to check me in and ensure everything I need is there. The elevator ride up does nothing to quell my nerves, especially with Ana so quiet. We get up to the Nobu Penthouse Suite at Caesar's Palace and I must admit it's pretty nice - as far as Las Vegas goes.

"Wow. Christian, is it just you staying here?" Ana is slowly walking through the great room and stops by the purple and black pool table. She seems surprised. But at least she is talking.

"Now you, too. Maybe later we can have a little competition." I say to her as I handle one of the cues leisurely moving my hand up and down. She blushes and giggles a little. There is something about her shyness that entices me, it's endearing and sweet. She walks towards the bedroom but doesn't come out. After a moment, I follow her in the room.

She is standing with her back to the door looking at the view of the strip. Quietly, I walk up behind her and wrap my arms around her waist. She places her hands on mine then turns around to face me. "Christian, I'm sorry for how I acted. I never wanted to hurt you." Her voice is quiet and sincere.

"Ana, I'm sorry. I acted immaturely instead of talking to you. This relationship and these feelings are new to me. I don't know how to deal with these situations." I confess to her. She looks into my eyes, her blue studying my gray, and carefully caresses my cheek with her hand. It takes me by surprise but I like it. She steps up a little towards my mouth and I bow my head to greet her lips with a passionate kiss.

Unexpectedly emotions flood me and I feel as if I can't have enough of her. I want to be her lover, her friend, and her everything. Without breaking the kiss and with my hands in her hair I walk us back to the bed. I fall on top of Ana.

"Ana, I want you so much," I whisper into her ear as we continue to fervidly kiss. We stop kissing and I am supporting myself above her with my arms. My face is just barely inches from hers. We're both breathing heavily, her pupils are dilated and her long eyelashes are fluttering as the dopamine and adrenaline are rushing through her body. I have never seen anything more beautiful than she is right now.

She reaches up to unbutton my shirt. I begin to panic and stop her quickly grabbing her hand. "No, please don't." I plead with her as I fight the urge to jump away from her to protect myself. The whites of her eyes enlarge in shock and she searches my face for an answer. "It's not you. I want you to touch me but I just can't have anyone touch me like that. I'm sorry." As I explain my reaction to her, I rub my nose against hers to make up for the rebuff.

Her voice is barely above a whisper, "Don't be sorry. Kiss me. Make love to me." I can't tell if she's pleading with me or commanding me but in either case, her words are a siren call to me. Swiftly, I swoop down and kiss her once more as I unbutton her shirt and start to undress her. My fingers can't move fast enough.

I've had sex thousands of times - more times than I can even count. But none of those times felt like it does with Ana. Ever. I want to be inside her, to be as close to her as possible, to be a part of her. I want to feel every inch of her exquisite body.

We are lying on the bed our arms and legs are entangled with each other. Both of us satisfied, Ana is resting her head on my chest as I rhythmically rub her back with the tips of my fingers. "Christian?" This must be what Heaven feels like.

"Yes?"

"Will you tell me why you can't have me touch you?" Her voice is soft and caring and I know she is asking me more out of caring and concern than curiosity.

I freeze as the fear begins to run through my body. It's been almost 25 years but it still feels like it was yesterday. I can feel the incredible singeing pain, smell the cheap stale cigarettes, and feel the horror and confusion just as it was when I was a small little boy who was unable to protect himself. "It happened when I was a child. It was horrible but it's over and I don't want to poison you with that information." My voice cracks and my throat tightens as I say the words.

She scoots up so she can look into my eyes. "It's something that you lived through. It's a part of who you are, and I want to know that. Good or bad I want to know you."

"I don't want you to feel sorry for me, Ana." I don't need anyone's pity. It's over and there isn't anything I can do to change it now.

"It's not like that, Christian. Obviously, it's something that no child should go through. But, It's made you who you are and I want to know all of you."

I sigh, resigned to tell her everything and trying to steel myself to recount what only a few people know. "Before I was adopted by the Greys, I lived with my mother who was a crack-addicted prostitute. Her pimp beat, burned, and smacked me around while she did nothing to help me. She never even comforted me. She finally died of an overdose when I was four. It took a few days for anyone to even find us. When her pimp did find her he left me alone with her body. I didn't know what was going on, why my mom wouldn't wake up. I was scared and hungry."

I hear her gasp. "Oh, Christian…"

"Ana, I don't want your pity," I repeat to her.

"It's not pity, it's empathy, Christian. No one should go through that. Ever. I'm sorry." She hugs me tighter as she says it; I don't even think she realizes it. I don't want to talk about this anymore.

"Hey, did you bring any dresses with you?" Quickly I change the subject.

"I brought one, why?" She sounds nonplussed.

"I want to take you to dinner at Picasso." I gently kiss her forehead.

"Picasso?"

"It's in the Bellagio. You'll like it."

After we've taken a relaxing bath in the deep soaking tub with the sensually smelling jasmine bath oil, we get ready for dinner. I'm waiting for her already dressed in the Penthouse living room when she comes out of the bedroom. As I look at her she takes my breath away. She's wearing a white shift dress that hits mid-thigh with gold chain spaghetti straps. Her legs look a mile long. When she turns I see the back of the dress is a cowl so it gives a sexy peek of her back. She's taller than usual - my eyes follow down her long legs to her gold strappy open-toe platform heels. They make her about 5 inches taller so she can almost look into my eyes. "Anastasia, you are absolutely stunning. I'm going to have to keep my eyes on you tonight." She is going to turn everyone's heads. I lean forward and give her a sweet kiss.

Dinner at Picasso is amazing and lives up to the hype it receives. We ate fresh-caught Chilean sea bass, drank delicious wine, and had a pineapple tart like no other, all while being surrounded by some of Pablo Picasso's original works. After dinner, we head over to the Bank Nightclub for some drinks and fun. We hang out in the VIP area in a plush black and gold booth. With bottle service that keeps coming, we are never without a drink while we are there. Ana even manages to get me out on the dance floor for a little and even with the alcohol I have drunk, I can tell all the other men in the club are looking at _my_ girl. For the first time in recent memory, I get drunk. In fact, the both of us get very, very drunk.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

 **APOV**

I wake up and my head is killing me. The room is spinning and I feel like I was run over by a train, a very large and fast train; and at the same time, I still feel drunk. How much did we drink last night? Christian is sound asleep next to me, his hair all messy and sexy. How can he still look this good? I probably look like I just survived a hurricane. I check the nightstand for my phone to see the time. As I reach for my phone, I grab what feels like a photograph. I pick it up to inspect it further to see it is a picture of Christian and me. I'm holding flowers and we have huge smiles on our faces. We look so happy here, but I don't remember this at all. I turn the picture over and it says, "Congratulations Mr. & Mrs. Grey!" _Holy shit!_

"Christian! Wake up!" I try to shake him awake. I am panicking.

Sleepy eyes open to look at me, he starts to smile until he sees the look on my face. "Ana, what's the matter?"

* * *

 **10 hours earlier…**

"This nightclub is so much fun!" I grab Christian's hand and drag him towards the dance floor. "Dance with me! I love this song!" At first, he resists but gives in and dances close to me to the Rihanna song. He smells so good I want to drink him all in and he's so close to me I can feel the heat from his body. He is a very good dancer and the way he moves his hips is incredibly sexy. I lift my head and place my lips on his. Instinctively he pulls me into him and deepens the kiss while pressing my body into his.

"Ana, we can't do this here. Let's go." Quickly, he grabs my hand and leads me off the dance floor and back to the table. I see we have drinks that are still full on the table. This bottle service is pretty awesome. We haven't been without a drink the entire time. It's just like they magically appear.

"We can't waste these. Here…" I hand one to Christian and we both down them. We head out of the club and through the lobby to the waiting limo outside. When the cool breeze from the nighttime desert hits us, I feel how drunk I really am. I can tell Christian is drunk too because he folds me into his arms and begins dancing with me to the piped Frank Sinatra music from the hotel lobby. He's being so silly and fun.

Behind us, we hear laughter and yelling. When we turn around we see a bride and groom happily in love. Neither of them can't seem to wipe the smiles off their faces. They look at each other as if the other one is the only person in the world. Christian looks at me and smiles, "They look happy."

I smile back at him. "They definitely do." I keep watching them feeling their happiness.

He takes my hands and twirls me a little. "You know, Miss Steele, you are wearing a white dress. I think that's a sign."

"A sign we should get married?"

He shrugs. "Why not?"

"Where would we get married at this hour? It's late." At that moment the limo pulls up and the driver gets out to open the door.

"Do you know where we can get married at this hour?"

"Sir, you want to go and get married?"

"Of course, wouldn't you want to marry this beautiful woman?" Christian gives me his Cheshire Cat smile.

"At this time of night, the chapels are closed. But if you give me a few minutes I can make a quick phone call. A friend of mine runs the Mon Bel Ami Wedding Chapel."

Christian squeezes my hand. "That sounds perfect. I told you it was a sign."

Maybe a half hour later, I am standing at the end of an aisle, in my short white dress holding a bouquet of red roses. They are beautiful and smell like an English garden. Christian is at the other end under a beautiful gazebo; we are both surrounded by romantic candlelight. It's a beautiful picture as I walk towards him. He's wearing his suit he wore to dinner without a tie and has never looked better. "Marry You" by Bruno Mars is playing from a well-hidden sound system. Within minutes it's official and we are legally married. After we sign the marriage license, the owner of the chapel comes out with a magnum of Dom Perignon. We share a glass with the owner, who was the officiant, and the limo driver who acted as our witness. We have a couple of pictures taken as keepsakes, both of us with broad smiles. We thank the owner and head back into the limo with the remainder of the champagne.

We get back up to the suite and head to the room neither of us steady on our feet. "Mrs. Grey, let me get you out of this dress." Christian's voice is provocative.

Christian's eyes gleam wickedly. "I think we have consummated the marriage, Mrs. Grey."

"Christian! This isn't funny! What are we going to do?" _Oh my God!_ This is not a time to joke.

He shrugs. "That depends."

"On what?"

"On what you have to do for your conference today." He replies nonchalantly.

"Are you out of your mind? I can't do the conference. We have to take care of this right away. Aren't you worried?" My voice has risen several octaves now.

"Worried about what? My lawyers will fix it. They will sweep this all under the rug like it never happened." He looks down at the picture of us. "We do look pretty happy there." How can he sound so calm about this? It's like we're in the plot of a horrible rom-com.

I take out my phone and start looking up flights home. "Ana? What are you doing?"

What does he mean, what am I doing? "Looking up flights home. We have to fix this."

"Did you forget?" He smirks at me, half arrogance and half amusement. Why isn't he taking this seriously?

"Forget what? Christian, you are entirely too calm here." I think I am going to hyperventilate. Maybe I should look around for a paper bag to breathe into.

"I own a plane. If you want to leave now, we can do that. Are you sure you don't want to stay here? It'll all be fixed on Monday. There's nothing we can do today."

"I think we should take care of this right away."

"OK, let me call Taylor to make the arrangements. We can be home by this afternoon."

"Thank you." I get up right away and head to the shower so I can be ready as soon as the plane it. But first, I really need to find some Advil.

* * *

 **CPOV**

Ana was anxious the entire flight, she kept fidgeting and couldn't keep still. Surprisingly, I was not anxious at all. It's something in which I lost complete control but it doesn't bother me. We'll get this straightened out. Isn't this why I employ the people I do? I think I am just happy Ana and I are back together.

The plane lands and we wait in the SUV while Taylor grabs what few bags we have. I turn on my phone to see what I've missed in the last couple of hours. As soon as it's on, it goes crazy with missed calls and voicemails. _Shit_. Instantly I worry something has happened to someone in my family.

Apprehensively I call my father back. It barely even has a chance to ring before it picks up. "Christian."

"Dad, what's happened? What's wrong? Is Mom ok? Is Mia?"

"What's wrong? Christian, what the fuck have you done? All the tabloids are reporting about your marriage last night to Ana. What were you thinking?" I haven't heard him yell at me like this since I was a teenager.

"How did the tabloids find out?" It just happened a few hours ago. Surely, we can't be that interesting.

"The owner of the wedding chapel where you got married sold the story. Jesus Christ, Christian. How stupid can you be? You married a stranger practically and I doubt you had a prenup or gave that any thought." He's extremely pissed - more than when I got kicked out of school for fighting or when I dropped out of Harvard.

"Ana's not a stranger. It'll be fixed although now it won't be swept as quietly under the rug as we hoped." No big deal.

"Christian, Ana seems like a nice girl but you don't know her. She could have done this on purpose and set you up. This one drunken mistake could cost you millions of dollars and your reputation."

"Dad, Ana isn't that kind of person and I don't give a fuck about my reputation. Look, I have to go. I'll talk to you later." I hang up and Ana is carefully watching me. "So, it looks like our little cat has been let out of the bag."

"Oh my God, Christian. I am so sorry. You know I don't want anything, right? I just think we should get an annulment and pretend it never happened."

"I know, baby." If I remember correctly through all the haziness of the evening, it was my idea to get married in the first place. I hug her close to me and softly kiss her temple.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

 **CPOV**

It's been a week since we've been back from Vegas. According to my lawyers, it isn't as easy as I thought to have a marriage annulled. Even though we both want one apparently it requires a lot of paperwork and a judge since the only grounds for an annulment is that we technically were not of sound mind at the time of the ceremony. And, because we were in a relationship beforehand it's making everything more complicated. The paparazzi haven't left us alone for a minute - speculations are all over the place. The most common one is that Ana is a beard for me. If they only knew. They are hounding us, our family, and friends for information about what happened.

Ana's dad called her and was none too happy. He was absolutely livid. She hoped she would have the chance to tell him before he found out. But the paps are good with their research, found out who she was very quickly and went to ask Ray what he thought. Needless to say, he was quite shocked since he didn't even know we were dating. He didn't even know who I was.

Aside from all that, this week has been wonderful and I've enjoyed calling Ana _Mrs. Grey_. I've been thinking a lot about Ana and my feelings for her. They grow stronger for her every day but I'm not sure she feels the same way and I don't want to freak her out. I have to let her take this at a pace she is comfortable with, especially since I came on too strong the last time. I don't want to jeopardize anything.

We sleep in and have a leisurely morning in bed. Finally, I get out of bed as Ana lazily watches me. I smack her butt hard, "Come on, let's go hiking. It's nice outside." I think it would be good for us to get away from all this for a little while. I reach my hand out to her to pull her up. Instead, she smirks at me and grabs it pulling so hard I practically fall on top of her. She starts to giggle and I roll over so she is now on top of me. I pin her down with my legs.

She yelps in surprise still giggling. She is so beautiful and I love to hear her laugh. It makes me happy. Suddenly, before I can stop myself, I look in her sparkling blue eyes and confess, "I love you, Ana." She stops laughing and gives me a small, shy smile.

"You do?" She seems unsure. I nod in answer. "I love you too, Christian," she whispers her response with her eyes filled with authentic emotion. Happiness and calm radiate from my chest throughout my body. I love this woman right here and she loves me. There is only one thing that could make today any better.

"Let's stop it." I sweetly caress her face with the back of my hand my eyes studying hers.

"Stop what?" She asks bewildered.

"The annulment."

Ana sits up so she can see me better. "Christian, you can't be serious. We aren't ready to be married." Her eyes move back and forth quickly, searching for the answer.

"Who says? You love me, right?" She nods. "And, I love you. That's not going to change. So why should we wait?"

She opens her mouth and then closes it, trying to come up with something to say but unable. "But we didn't even have a real wedding."

"We had a real wedding, just neither of us can remember it. If you want another wedding, then you can have another wedding." I tell her matter-of-factly. She can have five weddings if that's what she wants.

"I don't want another wedding. I don't know, it just doesn't seem real." She's now anxiously twisting the fingers on her hands.

"Ana, I love you. I want to be with you forever. It doesn't get more real than that. I would marry you ten times over, any way you wanted. All that matters is you."

She smiles at me. "How do you do it?"

"Do what?" Now I am the one confused.

"Say something so romantic." She pauses for a bit before continuing to speak. "OK, let's cancel the annulment. But, we should tell my dad in person this time."

"Let's have him over for dinner. I'd like to meet the man who raised my wife."

"Why don't we have your parents over too? You know, safety in numbers." She says nervously. I give her a quick kiss.

"OK, but we're already married so there isn't much they can do about it. No one is going to keep me away from you."

* * *

 **APOV**

I stand in the mirror in Christian's vast walk-in closet. I'm wearing the royal blue Talbot Runhof sleeveless ruched cocktail dress and pair of Christian Louboutin Aribaks, an open toe t-strap heel with multiple patterns, colors, and materials Christian bought for me specifically for tonight. I told him he didn't have to but he said he insisted as my husband.

He comes up behind me and kisses my shoulder, his arms are around my waist. "You look beautiful, Mrs. Grey." I look at him in the mirror and our eyes lock. "Don't be nervous. They are our family." He tells me.

"I know. I'm just worried they'll tell us it's too soon - that you're making a mistake. I don't want to cause any more trouble between you and your family, Christian."

"Anastasia, you had my heart a long time ago, before I even realized it. I think I've been in love with you since Kate's birthday party." I turn around in his arms to face him.

"Really?"

"Of course." He sounds so sure and confident.

"Mr. Grey, you are so romantic. You really know the right things to say. Do you know that?" He leans his head down and kisses me.

"Come on, everyone is here." He urges me and pushes me out of the closet.

Gail has outdone herself with dinner. We have blue cheese and pear tartlets with stuffed dates for appetizers with Christian's favorite wine, Sancerre. Christian, Ray, and Carrick hit it off talking about fishing while Grace and I help Gail in the kitchen. Well, at least keep her company.

We sit down to a dinner of roast beef tenderloin with cognac butter, carrot mash with creme fraiche, and shredded brussels sprouts with slow-fried shallots. It's delicious. During dinner, we have some safe small talk with some shared laughter about the weather, the Mariners, and other topics not having to do with our marriage. About half way through the dinner, Christian speaks, "Mom, Dad, Ray, we invited you here to share some good news. Anastasia and I have decided to call off the annulment." He reaches over and grabs my hand in his. "During these past couple weeks, we've realized we truly love each other and want to be married. We know everything has been unconventional but we are very sure about our decision and we hope you will support us."

"Oh, Christian, Ana, of course we will!" Grace says genuinely and she clasps her hands together.

Ray looks at me, concern etched on his face, "Annie, are you sure about this?" He whispers to me.

"I am, Daddy." My heart swells. I can only imagine how tough it is for Ray to give me away to someone else, especially someone he never met before, and someone who seems to be from a different world.

He gives me a sweet smile, "Well, then, honey, as long as you're happy, so am I."

Christian has a huge smile on his face. "Now we have that out of the way, there's one last thing I need to do." He gets up and walks over to me. I am confused. What is going on? What does he need to do?

"Christian, what are you doing?" He walks up to me and takes a box out of his pocket. Before I can say anything, he gets down on one knee.

"Anastasia, will you stay married to me?" He opens the box to show me a large teardrop shaped gray diamond ring with a diamond halo around it and two diamond bands, one curved nested against the bottom of the ring and one pointed nested at the top. I look at him and he mouths the words _I love you_ to me.

"It's beautiful. Of course, I will." He slides the rings onto my finger and kisses them. We both stand up and he hugs me with all his might.

"It's a gray diamond - unique like you." His hands are playing with the rings on my finger as he says it to me.

"Grey, huh? I see what you did there." He shrugs his shoulders and laughs a little bit at my attempt of a joke. I lovingly embrace his face and give him a tender kiss. "I love you too, Christian Trevelyan Grey."

"You should let us throw you a reception at the very least." Christian's mom enthusiastically tells us breaking our moment. Their excitement is definitely different than when news first broke of our marriage. I'm not sure what made them change their minds, especially Carrick but it makes me very happy. Christian and I look at each other and trying to determine without words what the other wants.

"When would you want to have that, Mom?" Christian holds me close to him.

"Is two weeks enough time for you to plan everything?" Grace asks.

"Grace, if you are ok with two weeks, so are we," I reply. Honestly, all my family I would invite is in this room and then it's just Kate and Jose.

"Perfect. I am so excited! Ana, would you mind if I helped you with the planning?" Grace jumps up and hugs me.

"I would absolutely love that. I'm not used to throwing parties like this."

"Oh, it'll be just wonderful." She is beaming with maternal pride and her elation is contagious. She holds my hands in hers. It will be nice to have a mom to share this time with.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

 **CPOV**

Ana and Grace have been going like crazy planning the reception. It doesn't need to be a big deal but my mom is so excited we just let her plan away. The guest list is extremely long, but that's because I've also invited some business associates. If we're going to have something like this that isn't just close friends and family then I at least will make good use of the guest list.

I was broken-hearted for Ana; she decided to call her mom to invite her to the reception and bury the hatchet. I'm not even sure what issues her mom has with her but Ana hoped the wedding would bring them together. When she called her mom, Carla told her two weeks wasn't enough time to plan to come to Seattle so she won't be able to make it. She won't show it but I know Ana's crushed. Luckily, Ray is here supporting her all the way; even if he doesn't necessarily agree with us marrying so soon. But I think every bride wants to plan her wedding with her mother at her side.

The only thing I am planning is our honeymoon. I'm excited to take Ana on a trip she would normally only dream about. At first, I was going to pick a tropical island, then I thought about Europe, but I picked up a magazine the other day when I was waiting for Flynn and I found the perfect place. I am going to take Ana to South Africa. I think she would really like that and I would like having her practically to myself for a couple of weeks. I'm keeping the entire thing a secret. I want to surprise her with the trip and the location.

Speaking of Flynn, he was shocked, to say the least when I told him what transpired over the last couple of weeks. On one hand, he's glad I recognized the true feelings I have for Ana but he is also worried we are moving too fast. Everyone thinks we're moving too fast. I don't understand why - we both love each other and she's the only woman I will ever love. So why should we wait for some arbitrary amount of time until people decide we have been together long enough to warrant marriage?

* * *

 **APOV**

Grace, Mia, Kate, and Gail have been wonderful helping me to plan this. I've been behind the scenes for many weddings but planning one is a lot more difficult than I thought. Every little detail needs to be planned out right down to the cocktail napkins. I can only imagine what it would be like to plan a wedding ceremony too.

Of course, we picked the food first. Instead of a sit-down meal, we decided to do heavy hors d'oeuvres that way people can socialize throughout the night and won't feel stuck at a table or they have to stay for a length of time. Mia suggested we do a Vegas theme but I'm not really big on the idea of themed weddings and receptions. I'm not sure I like being the center of attention for the party we are planning let alone having a theme around me. I am perfectly fine letting Christian be the center of attention.

To make things worse, the other day we were leaving the florist Grace uses for her parties and a paparazzi caught a picture of us leaving. That picture got around fast because within what seemed like minutes they had it online with a headline, "Is Grey Planning for a Happily Ever After?" I honestly don't understand the fascination with me. I get it with Christian because he's so beautiful and he's got more money than some countries. But me? I'm nobody special. I'm not beautiful or exciting and I am definitely not rich. Kate said it's because people idolize me for finally snagging Seattle's Most Eligible Bachelor. If there was some sort of secret to it, believe me, I would tell people. However, it's really just a chance we met at the wedding of his cousin. I don't know if people think I hunted him down and stalked him, or what, but that's definitely not how it happened.

Grace and I meet with the florist one last time to finalize everything and it is a complete zoo. One of the vendors we have been working with violated the Nondisclosure Agreement and sold the information to the media. We are mobbed as we try to leave the shop. People are everywhere! Cameras are flashing and people were shouting questions and yelling my name from all directions. It is quite overwhelming and a tad scary. Thankfully Taylor and Sawyer are there to help us. There is even a fight between two paparazzi right in the street! All I want to do is safely get into the SUV and go home.

When I get back to Escala, Christian bombards me before I even have a chance to get into the great room. "Ana, are you OK? Did anyone hurt you? I have my lawyers investigating who did it and they are going to file for an injunction." He looks panicked and he's checking me over for any injuries like a mother does with her child.

"Christian, I'm fine. Word travels fast around here." I narrow my eyes and glare at Taylor because the only way Christian would have known what happened so quickly was for Taylor to tell him. He must have texted Christian because I didn't hear him talking to anyone. Taylor looks back at me apathetically and stone-faced. I know he's just doing his job but there was no reason to react like that. I feel like sticking my tongue out at him for telling on me.

"From now on all vendors will meet you here or at Bellevue. Welsh is running backgrounds on all the vendors to see if anyone has had a recent financial windfall. I have half a mind to fire the entire lot without regard to who actually did it."

Jeez, he's done a lot of things in the few minutes it took for us to drive home from the florist. How long does it even take to start filing for an injunction? Don't these things usually take days if not weeks? "Christian, that's not necessary. There's nothing malicious; they're just curious. Maybe whoever sold the story really needed the money."

"I don't care if they needed the money. That's not the point." Christian's eyes are cold and his jaw is tense with anger. It's going to be difficult to talk him down from this but honestly, I don't think it is a battle we need to fight.

I walk up to him and place my hands on the lapels of his jacket. "Christian, all I need to be OK is you. That's it. But if you keep getting angry like this you will keel over and I don't want that. Let the universe get its justice and let's concentrate on what is important."

I look up at him imploring him to calm down and not worry about it. He lets out a deep sigh, "OK, for you I will but if anyone hurts you all bets are off."

"I think I can handle that deal." I step up on my tiptoes to give him a kiss.

"And you aren't going anywhere without a CPO just in case. Got it?" _Simmer down, bossy!_

"OK, Mr. Bossypants." I hold my hands up in surrender. He tries to look annoyed but the corner of his mouth is turning up just so betraying his attempt.

He smacks my rear with one hand like he's swatting a bug. "Come on, tell me about the flowers you and my mother picked out."

"You want to hear about the flowers? Really?" I don't think any groom ever wants to hear about that stuff. I'm not even sure I want to hear about it.

"No, but I was hoping it would distract you long enough for me to get you into the bedroom." He smirks at me.

"What if we didn't choose any flowers? How would you distract me then?" Sometimes I think he has a one-track mind.

"I wouldn't. I would just take your hand, like I am now, and drag you into the room with me to make love for the rest of the evening like I hope to be doing in the next two minutes." He tells me as we walk into the bedroom and he shuts the door behind us. At least he isn't angry anymore. _Who's distracted now?_

"I think that can be arranged."


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

 **APOV**

I step into the Greys' palatial house and it is completely transformed into a beautiful reception venue. The furniture downstairs has been moved out and replaced with seating areas, some of the hors d'oeuvres stations and bars. At the entrance to the great room is a sign with the menu for the night.

 _A Celebration in Honor of Ana and Christian_

 _Welcome!_

 _Apéritifs_

 _1999 Bollinger Rosé_

 _Kir_

 _Campari and Soda_

 _Girovita_

 _Tres Jolie_

 _Small Bites_

 _Risotto Fritters_

 _Thai Chicken Satay_

 _Kalamata Olive Tapenade on Crostini_

 _Crisp Bruschetta with Figs, Prosciutto & Goat Cheese_

 _Antipasto Skewers_

 _Mini Beef Wellington_

 _Warm Brie En Croute with Apricot & Pistachio_

 _Honey Ginger Salmon Tartare on Sesame Rice Crackers_

 _Moroccan Lamb Lollipops_

 _Ceviche Shooters_

 _Mini Alaskan Snow Crab Cakes_

 _Bacon Wrapped Shrimp_

 _Imported and Domestic Cheese Display_

 _Garden Fresh Vegetable Crudité Display_

 _Sliced Seasonal Fruit Display_

 _Desserts_

 _Miniature Red Velvet Cakes_

 _Miniature Double Chocolate Berry Cakes_

 _Miniature Classic New York Cheesecakes_

 _Miniature Pineapple Upside Down Cakes_

 _Miniature Carrot Cakes_

 _Miniature Cherry Pies_

 _Miniature Banana Cream Pies_

 _Miniature Pecan Pies_

 _Chocolate Truffles from Intrigue Chocolate Co._

 _Digestifs_

 _Coffee, Espresso, & Cappuccino_

 _Herbal Tea & Iced Tea_

 _Brandy Alexander_

 _White Russian_

 _Clear Creek Pear Eau de Vie_

 _Pallini Limoncello_

 _Molinari Sambuca_

 _Variety of Red and White Wines_

Throughout the house, there are vases and topiaries of burgundy roses, green hydrangea, white and ivory lilies, green hanging amaranthus, and red and white peonies. It's stunning, elegant, and simple all at once. Outside are large tents with a dance floor, more seating, and a stage for the band. Draped like garland from the roofs of the tents are twinkling white lights and paper lanterns.

I head upstairs with my makeup case with Gail who helps me to set up in the spare room. Grace walks in, "Ana, darling, are you sure you want to work on your day? You don't have to do anyone's makeup if you don't want to. I want you to enjoy the party."

"Grace, this isn't work for me - it's what I do. Plus doing everyone's makeup will help me get rid of the nervous energy. If you want, you can go first." I offer her and motion to the tall director's chair I have set up.

I finish everyone's makeup, including Gail's. She didn't want me to do it saying it would waste my time but I insisted. She is beautiful and it will be nice to see her in a fancy dress. Mia asked me for dramatic eye makeup, Kate has sexy cat eyes, and Grace looks polished and elegant. Now it's time for me to get ready.

I was just going to buy a regular dress but Christian made a comment that he would like to see me wearing a wedding dress. I'd feel strange wearing a wedding gown without a wedding but I think I have a good compromise. I put on my long white, mixed lace Monella dress from Talbot Runhof and slip on the white and crystal Follies Strass Christian Louboutin heels. For some reason, Christian really likes it when I wear Christian Louboutin heels. He says they make me look sexy.

My hair is up in a french twist with a slight bouffant reminiscent of Audrey Hepburn. I have a natural look with my makeup with a slightly dramatic eye that makes my eyes pop. To finish off my outfit, I put on the Mikimoto Twist White South Sea cultured pearl earrings with white gold and the matching Embrace White South Sea cultured pearl bracelet in white gold. I stand back to take a look in the full-length mirror.

"Ana, you look so beautiful. You look … like an adult." Kate says when she enters the room. I laugh at her description because she is so right.

"Really? Do you think Christian will like it?" I ask nervously.

"He hasn't seen the dress yet?"

"No, I wanted to surprise him."

"He is going to drop dead, you look so gorgeous."

"Thank you. You look beautiful, too." Kate is wearing a gold Elie Saab sleeveless metallic star-lace ruffled dress that fits her curves perfectly and black and gold Jimmy Choo Kilda peep toe pumps.

"Ana, you were with me when I bought this dress." She jokingly chastens me.

"So, I can't pay you a compliment?"

Her hair is half up with long blond ringlets down her back and her skin is sun-kissed giving her a healthy glow. She gives me a huge grin and her green eyes twinkle. "Any time you want!" She looks like she belongs in California, not Seattle.

It's almost time for the guests to arrive so we head downstairs. Then, I see Christian. He is gorgeous in a fitted bespoke charcoal gray suit with a white shirt and black tie. He has a little bit of stubble on his face which I find incredibly sexy. He walks over to me, his legs making long strides.

"Anastasia, you look like an angel." He leans down giving me a strong but tender kiss.

"You look… hot." His only response is a sultry smile.

"Later." That one word, that promise, resonates deep within me.

"Ana! Christian!" We turn to see Mia bounding towards us. "You guys look so good. Let me get a picture of you two."

We smile and pose for the picture before we greet Mia with hugs. Mia looks fabulous. She's tall and curvaceous wearing a Tadashi Shoji Olga blue floral dress with coordinating pink suede Alexandre Birman Lupita ankle tie sandals so she practically towers over me. Her exuberance is contagious.

The guests have all arrived and are indulging in their drink of choice. Before we can finish going around to greet everyone, Christian stands to make a speech. "Thank you, everyone, for coming to celebrate the best mistake I ever made." He smiles at me while some of the guests laugh at his joke. "For those of you who may not know, it appears the universe grew impatient waiting for this beautiful woman and me to get together. So, one night in Las Vegas, after maybe one or two cocktails too many, Anastasia and I decided to get married. According to the pictures, it was a beautiful ceremony." The guests laugh again at his implication of our not-so-sober-ceremony. "If I could do it all over again, I would make sure I remember everything. Anyway, before I embarrass my Mrs any further, we are glad you could be here tonight to celebrate with us."

Almost as if we are feeding koi in a pond, guests from all directions approach us to give their congratulations and well wishes. It's all a little overwhelming but we work the crowd as best as we can and I don't think we've missed anyone.

When Christian's cousin Victoria and her husband come up to us she gives me a huge hug. "Ana! Congratulations!"

"I should be thanking you. After all, if it weren't for you, I wouldn't have met Christian when I did."

"Like Christian said, the universe wanted the two of you together."

Christian greets Victoria warmly. "There's our matchmaker. Thank you for coming."

"Christian, I am so happy for you. Just don't call me Yenta."

"Never."

He stops and looks at me, assessing something. "Anastasia, you should eat something. I know for a fact you've had a couple of drinks already and I don't want you to get sick." Christian scolds me lightly.

"Now that you say it, I am hungry. Victoria, it was wonderful to see you again."

"Bye, Ana. Congratulations once again."


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

 **CPOV**

Ana and I take some time to eat and when I can no longer resist, I take her to the dance floor. She's surprised, we didn't discuss having a first dance at all. We didn't even really discuss any music. She looks at me and gasps in bewilderment and I smirk knowingly at her I love it when I can catch her unsuspecting. 'Trouble' by Ray Lamontagne starts; I pull her into a subdued Viennese waltz. I take her in my arms and sweep her across the dance floor. I _have_ been saved by a woman - this woman. _My wife_.

"Christian, I didn't expect that," she confesses to me at the end of the song.

"Sometimes I like to surprise you." I give her a quick kiss.

"You're the best surprise I could have." She places her arms around my neck.

"I could say the same thing." Another song begins and other guests join us on the dance floor except I'm not ready to let her go just yet so I hold onto her for another dance.

She's looking up at me, studying my eyes. She tenderly caresses my face. "You make me feel so loved."

"That's because you are. Always." Before we can continue, there is a strong voice from behind us.

It's my grandfather. "May I cut in? I'd like to dance with my new granddaughter here."

"Of course, Grandfather." He just met Ana today but I can tell he's already very fond of her.

I hand my wife over to my grandfather and make my way to my Grandmother. "Grandmother, would you like to dance?"

"I thought you'd never ask, Christian." I smile. My grandmother has what most people would call _moxie_. Others may say it's chutzpah. We begin to dance and she asks me, "So, is Anastasia pregnant?" My grandmother has the uncanny ability to ask what others are thinking but afraid to say.

"No, she isn't." Everyone has been whispering that question since we married so quickly.

"Well, what the hell are you waiting for? I want a great-grandchild and you are no spring chicken." She makes me laugh. If my mom heard her she would be mortified and would most likely chastise her.

Ana dances with Ray and it's very touching to see the love between them. Once again it makes me crestfallen her mother wouldn't come today to celebrate with us. At that moment, I resolve to surround Anastasia with a loving family so she never has to feel alone ever again.

José dances with Ana to Queen's 'You're My Best Friend' and when Kate joins them it makes me smile. The three of them have their arms around each other dancing ridiculously in a circle and laughing. I'm glad she has had her friends to support her through all these years. I know Ray supports her but she needs more.

We take a break to get something to drink and stop to talk with Elliot and Kate. Kate asks Ana where we are going for our honeymoon but I won't tell Ana. "Christian won't tell me where we are going. He wouldn't even let me back my bags."

"So, what clothing do you have?" Kate asks.

Ana rolls her eyes. She gets exasperated with how much I spoil her. But now that's my job and for the rest of her life, I will make sure she wants for nothing. "He took me shopping. He practically bought everything in Free People and in Nordstrom. I probably have enough clothes for a year."

I interrupt them, "Now Ana has the appropriate clothes for wherever we honeymoon." I smirk and wink at Ana teasing her and Kate laughs.

Mia joins us. "Ana, you look so beautiful. I love your earrings and bracelet."

"Thank you, Mia. They're from Christian." Ana holds her wrist out to examine the bracelet once more. I smile, happy she likes the gift.

"He should give you a pearl necklace next," Mia suggests just as Elliot is about to take a sip of his beer causing him to spit it out in laughter. It looked like it belongs in a slap stick comedy. It makes the three of us laugh even more to witness his response.

"What's so funny? I don't get it." Mia is mad thinking we are making fun of her. Quite frankly, I'm glad she is naive enough to not know what the double entendre meant.

Ana stops laughing enough to say to Mia that it was _pearl necklace_ that set Elliot off. "Elliot, tell me what is so funny about what I said!"

Elliot suddenly looks scared. "I'm not telling her that! Christian, you tell our baby sister what it means." He starts to back away from us.

"Hell no. There is no way in Hell that will happen." Kate rolls her eyes with slight annoyance and puts Mia out of her misery and whispers into her ear.

Mia scrunches her face in disgust. "That is so gross!" It only makes Elliot laugh harder. His face is bright red and he's practically doubled over at this point.

"Why don't we change the subject, eh?" Ana suggests and it's aimed at Elliot and me.

"What? You thought it too!" Elliot protests half-heartedly.

Suddenly, Ana looks down to see my cousin's 3-year old tugging at her dress. She kneels down so she is at his eye level and he hands her a flower with a huge smile on his face. I crouch down with her, "Charlie, this is Ana. Can you say 'Ana'?"

He gives us both a big toothy smile, "Ana. Pretty."

"Yes, she is very pretty. She is my wife." I tell him as he studies my face. His brows furrow and he purses his lips.

"No! Mine! Mine Ana!" He tells me while he's pointing at me. He yells loudly enough for others around us to hear him and turn around. I start to laugh.

"I hear you, Charlie. I feel the same way about her."

"No! No! My Ana!" He grabs onto her and won't let her go. At first, Ana looks startled. My cousin rushes over to us.

"I'm so sorry! I didn't know he would do this. It appears he's quite taken with you, Ana." She picks Charlie up but he reaches his arms out for Ana to take him. She barely has to open her arms before he climbs into them.

"He just the youngest in a long line of admirers," I tell her.

Ana just looks at me and shakes her head. She doesn't believe me when I tell her there are many men who would be oh-so-willing to take my place. "Charlie, do you want to dance?"

He kicks his legs excitedly, "Yes! Dance!" Ana takes him over to the dance floor and starts swaying to 'Crimson and Clover'. Charlie is animatedly talking to her - it looks like he's telling her some kind of story and she laughs right along with him.

My cousin is standing next to me. "She looks like a natural, Christian."

"Yeah, she does." I watch Ana laughing and dancing with Charlie and I picture her with our child - a little boy with blue eyes like his mother's.

"You know, the two of you would make some beautiful kids. And it's not like you have to worry about money or anything." I turn and look at her trying to process what she's just said. Unexpectedly, something clicks inside me and I realize that's what I want with Ana. I want our own family. I want her to be the mother of my children. I never thought I would have kids but then again, I never thought I would meet someone like Ana.

The song ends and she carries Charlie over to us. Reluctantly Charlie climbs back into his mother's arms but not before he sneaks a kiss from Ana. "Looks like I have some competition."

She raises an eyebrow, "You just better tow the line, Mr. Grey."

The last of the guests leave around midnight and I look at Ana. "You should get comfortable for our plane ride, Mrs. Grey."

"Plane ride? Now? It's late!" Ana tells me in surprise her eyebrows shoot up and her eyes get large.

"Well, if you'd rather go to sleep than to our honeymoon that's up to you." I smile at her as her eyes twinkle with excitement.


	24. Chapter 24

_Author's Note: Thank you for all your reviews. I read each and every one of them, but unfortunately, I'm not able to respond to them individually as I would like. However, I truly appreciate them. We have about five chapters left to the story, so we're getting close to the end. I also received some notes about what a "pearl necklace" is. For those of you who don't know, I would encourage you to look it up on Urban Dictionary but just be warned. :-)_

* * *

Chapter 24

 **APOV**

I'm wearing yoga pants and a hoodie when we arrive at the airport. I loved that dress but this is more like me, and I'm comfortable. Sitting there waiting for us is the GEH jet. I should have known we would be taking Christian's plane. We board the plane while our luggage gets loaded. I settle down in the plush leather seat. Christian looks over at me giving me just a hint of a smile. "OK, you should get some rest," he says.

"Some rest? I thought we were going to our honeymoon?" I'm confused. He is always so unpredictable; I never know what he is going to do.

"We are, but it's a long flight. Come, let's rest." His voice is strong and commanding.

Rest? _Where?_ "Where are we going to rest?" I ask.

"Ana, didn't you notice the last time you were on this plane there are rooms?" His gray eyes are sparkling with mirth, and he gives me a toothy grin.

"No. I was a little preoccupied with our sudden marriage." I grumble. He pauses and smiles at me again, like a kid who just got away with something.

"That was a good weekend. It was the best decision I ever made." He makes me shy once more. _How does he do that? Even now?_ He holds his hand out to me in a now familiar fashion, and I take it following him down the small narrow hall and through the door. In the room is a luxurious bed topped with soft pillows and smooth, serene fabrics. I stand in front of him as he steps closer to me, so close we are just not touching. "You were beautiful today." He whispers to me. His voice is sultry and strong although he's quiet.

"So were you. Thank you for a beautiful day."

"Thank you for marrying me." He leans down and kisses me. His lips are soft and warm, but he kisses me as if he has never kissed me before. He is holding me close to him, pressing my body against his so there is no space between us.

"Surely, I should say that to you," I respond a bit breathlessly from the kiss. Christian smiles at me and shakes his head but doesn't say a word. He kisses me once more and slowly lays me down on the bed.

A brush of soft lips wakes me up. "Hey baby, we're almost ready to land."

"We're almost there?" I smile at him, groggy but excited to finally find out where we are going.

"Sort of." I look at him confused. How can we 'sort of' be somewhere?

"We have to stop to refuel in Amsterdam. I figured we could get out and stretch our legs before we have to take off again." We walk through the crowded but clean airport getting some coffee from, of all places, Starbucks and get some delicious chocolate from Neuhaus. I don't think this chocolate is going to make the trip home.

I do feel a little underdressed wearing my yoga pants and a hoodie next to my Greek-god of a husband. He is casually dressed but still looks very dapper. "I need to feed you. Come." I don't let the jeans and t-shirt trick me; he's still the bossy CEO.

"But I _am_ eating!" I protest. Well, it's more of a whine.

"Chocolate doesn't count. Pick another place."

I look around trying to find a place to eat even though I would be perfectly happy with the chocolate. But, it isn't worth the fight, especially not on our honeymoon. Then I see it. "There."

Christian looks to where I am pointing and smiles. "Vlaamse Frites? You want french fries?" I nod. A smile creeps across his face. "OK, french fries it is." Christian gets me a cone of fries with a huge dollop of mayonnaise. I have never had mayonnaise on my fries and am nervous to try it at first, but when I do, it's delicious. I would have never thought this combination would taste this good. Honestly, though, you can't mess up fries.

I'm casually looking through the gift shop when Christian comes up behind me with a beautiful bouquet of tulips he was holding behind his back as a surprise. "Christian, they're lovely. Thank you."

"You're welcome. The crew has refueled and checked the plane. Shall we go?" He offers me his arm, and I hook mine through it.

"Yes." I don't even care about shopping - I'm excited to get to our mystery location.

* * *

 **CPOV**

"Hey, baby. Time to wake up, we're going to land." I try to wake Ana up softly. With everything going on the last few days, I think this is the first time she's been able to sleep well.

Her eyes flutter open, and she smiles once she sees me. "How long was I asleep for?"

"A few hours. You were exhausted."

"I'm sorry. I should have stayed awake to keep you company." She frowns without realizing it.

"Nonsense. You were tired. I napped a little and did some work. You aren't going to need your hoodie when we get off the plane." Ana's eyes light up, and she looks out the window to see if she can determine where we are.

"I see palm trees! Where are we?"

"In a few moments, we will be landing at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi."

"Nairobi? That's so exciting! I love it!" She reaches across from me and gives me a kiss. I feel relieved. I was a little worried she wouldn't like this. I wanted to give her a trip of a lifetime.

Once the plane lands, and we taxi to a terminal, we deboard the plane and head to the waiting Range Rover while Taylor and our local security team load our luggage. Ana is so excited now she is practically bouncing up and down in the back seat next to me.

It takes about a half hour to get to our home for the next couple of days. But the drive there is scenic and beautiful. Immediately, Ana sees what makes this place different. Giraffes are walking around the property as if it is their home, almost like a pet dog. Ana looks out the window, her hand pressed against the glass, bursting at the seams to get out and see the giraffes. The car pulls up in front of the manor, and a Manager is there to welcome us. "Welcome to Giraffe Manor, Mr. and Mrs. Grey."

"Thank you. It's incredible," Ana replies. She's looking everywhere taking it all in at once.

"While Eric takes care of your luggage, I will show you to your room." We eagerly follow him through the manicured lawns and gardens of the historic property to our suite. Thankfully, the suite is better than I thought it would be. It's spacious with white walls and red wood. The four poster bed has mosquito netting around it just like you see the movies.

"Christian, this is so romantic that it almost doesn't seem real!" Ana tells me as she hops on the bed. She bounces up and down as she sits. Taking that as his cue to leave, the Manager lets us know tea is ready for us in the garden whenever we are. As soon as he leaves, I join Ana on the bed.

"Are you tired?" I ask her, but the huskiness of my voice betrays my true intentions.

"No." I lean in and kiss her. Quickly the kiss grows more passionately, and I take off her shirt and pants.

We lie in bed with each other, a fresh breeze blowing over our naked bodies.

"Are you hungry?" I ask after I kiss her hair. If I don't get her up now, we'll never make it out of this bed.

"A bit, but I honestly have no clue what time it is."

"It's late afternoon. Come on; I need to feed you." We get up, and I change into khaki shorts and a linen button-up shirt. Ana changes into a pair of drawstring shorts with a desert print and a matching blue tank top from our shopping trip at Free People. Honestly, I never even knew that store exists, but Ana looks hot. Then again, she would look hot in anything.

We spend a couple of hours outside on the lawn. After our snack of little tea sandwiches and cakes, we get to interact with some of the resident giraffes who are obviously not shy around people. I think one of the giraffes was smitten with Anastasia and I got the cutest pic of it kissing her on the cheek. He even walked up and stole a cake off her plate.

Ana has stepped into the room-sized shower in the bathroom to get ready for dinner. I can't resist so once I hear the water start to run, I quietly follow her into the bathroom. Her back is to me when I walk in, and she doesn't hear me. I pause to admire her beauty and then walk up behind her and wrap my arms around her waist which makes her jump. "I thought you might need some help washing your back," I whisper into her ear.

"That is very benevolent of you." She tells me. "How can I ever repay you?" She turns in my arms, and I quickly kiss her, our lips lock. Our energy is fiery and palatable.

When I get her against the cold shower wall I tell her, "Baby, lift your legs around my waist." I help her bring her legs up, and she locks her legs around me to help keep her up. I trail kisses down her neck and to her chest when I can no longer wait and enter her. I thrust in and out of her, and it feels as if it is a primal need. We fit together as if we are made for each other. I move slowly at first, in and out, but then I quickly pick up speed and fervor. The only sounds are the running water and her small whimpers of pleasure. I can feel she is close to an orgasm, so I pick up the pace. She stops kissing me and puts her head back against the cold tiles feeling the sensation of her body starting to let go.

"Christian, I'm coming." she is breathless, and I let go too. I hold her for a few moments after until I am sure she can support herself. When I finally let her down on her feet, I kiss her quickly and pull out of her.

"I feel better, now. You?"

"Much." I laugh at her faux seriousness and turn her around so I can wash her hair and body. She smells like fresh lilies; it is intoxicating. I'm ready, waiting for her in the main room after I've dressed in tan pants and a gray linen shirt. My hair is still wet from the shower.

Anastasia walks out of the en suite wearing the Gardenia two piece maxi dress from Free People. Once again, she is stunningly beautiful. Her hair is loosely pinned up and has hardly any makeup on. She has a graceful and bohemian way about her.

"Mrs. Grey, you are beautiful." I walk up to her and kiss her hand like a chivalrous knight greeting a fair princess. "Ready for dinner?"

"I am, Mr. Grey." She gives me a shy smile; her cheeks blush slightly. I take her hand and walk her out of the suite into the dining room and out of the manor. I lead her across the lawn to the orchid house. Inside there is a table for two surrounded by exotic orchids and soft but luminous candles. "Christian, this is romantic. You've outdone yourself once again." Ana says in wonderment.

"That was the plan." I help her to her seat before I take mine. Dinner is fantastic, and we are served halloumi wrapped in red peppers infused with lemon and chili served with homemade pesto, fillet of beef with horseradish spinach and dauphinoise potatoes, paired with Southern African wine. That night we retire to our room replete from the meal and sleepy from the travel and fresh air.

In the morning, after breakfast with some overly-friendly giraffes, we head to the David Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage where Ana is very excited to adopt and feed a baby elephant. It likes her so much he hugged her, knocking her down in the process as she laughs. I am happy to get it on video and because she fell in love with Galla, the orphaned elephant, I decided to foster it and made a sizable donation in Anastasia's honor. After the elephant orphanage, we travel via private plane to our next location.


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

 **APOV**

We flew from Kenya to Kigali International Airport in Rwanda. Then, we took a helicopter from there to our next stop. It was a fantastic view during our ride. We saw an erupting volcano and lush green forests. When the helicopter lands at the helipad for the Virunga Lodge I am bursting with excitement.

We get to our banda which is a stone building with a thatched roof and a private terrace. Inside is a beautiful four poster bed with romantic mosquito netting, and an en suite that is luxurious while still looking like it belongs here with everything else. I also like the fact the lodge tries to keep the environmental impact lower by having solar power and other sustainable amenities.

We have dinner on our terrace; it is relaxing and exotic to be surrounded by the beautiful nature. The food is fantastic, and the views make the trip here worthwhile. We go to bed early because we are getting up early to leave on a gorilla trek.

In the morning, I am up and ready for our trek with cargo pants, a camp shirt, and my hiking boots. I bring a backpack to keep some essentials like water with us. The ride there takes about an hour. Once we arrive, our guide takes us and our security on a hike into the Parc National des Volcans. At first, we don't see anything, and I am worried we won't get to see any gorillas. Then he has an idea of where we might be able to see some. We hike a few more miles, and then we come upon a family of them. We stand back, about 20 feet away so that we won't disturb them. I am so excited when a young gorilla comes up to us and is interacting; I can hardly contain myself. We are out on the trek for the entire day and get back to the lodge in time for dinner.

After a refreshing shower, I change into my purple Olivia dress from Free People. I like changing into a relaxed and comfortable dress when we are back. Luckily for me, Christian has brought enough clothes for me to change into a different dress a few times a day. Dinner on our terrace is perfect. Everything about our honeymoon has been perfect. I still can't believe we saw real gorillas today in the wild.

* * *

 **CPOV**

Ana and I stayed up late last night, so she is tough to wake this morning. "Hey, baby, time to get up." I tried to let her sleep as long as possible; I've already showered and dressed.

"Just 15 more minutes?" She wines with the pillow on top of her head somewhat muffling her voice. She is adorable at this very moment.

"I would love to say yes, but you need to get up. You don't want to miss the monkeys this morning, do you?" She sits up in bed, and her hair is all over the place. She looks sweet, young, and innocent now - much different from how she was last night. I won't soon forget it, that's for sure.

She reluctantly gets up, and not even 15 minutes later she's ready. "Are you feeling better now?" I ask.

"I think I'm going to need to go to bed early tonight." She says after she yawns and stretches her arms.

"That can be arranged, Mrs. Grey." Ana wakes up a little more on the drive to the Volcanoes National Park. By the time we arrive at the park headquarters, she is bouncing in her seat with excitement.

Luckily we don't have to hike long before we find some monkeys. They don't even care we are there. It is a small family unit with a couple of males hanging out and eating in the bamboo and a mother carrying her baby. They seem pretty passive and unafraid of us. We can get a lot of good pictures of it.

After our trek, we visit the Karisoke Research Center which was founded by Dian Fossey. The work they do there is remarkable. In addition to protecting the gorillas, they also work within the communities surrounding the park to educate the youth about gorilla conservation and help them grow better crops to increase food alternatives as well as raising animals for food. This aspect resonates with me since it is something I feel passionate about and have helped in areas of Northern Africa in the past.

It's amazing to see what Karisoke had become in 50 years from when it started as two tents in the middle of the wilderness. It is fascinating to learn about the various topics of Dian Fossey's work. She was a pioneer in the creation of anti-poaching patrols that continue today. With only a team of about 150 people, they manage to educate and help communities, conduct scientific research regarding the gorillas, and patrol the area and dismantle snares, so the gorillas don't get caught.

I am inspired by the work they do. "Excuse me, is there someone I can speak with about donating funds to the center?" I ask the woman at the desk.

"Yes, Sir. Let me see if she's available." She leaves the Apparently and disappears down a hallway where the offices are.

Just a few moments later a woman who looks to be only in her 30's approaches Ana and me. "May I help you, Mr…"

"Grey. Christian Grey and this is my wife, Anastasia. We are on our honeymoon and Karisoke is one of our stops. I am fascinated with all the work you do here as well as in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. I'd like to donate some money to help sponsor your mission."

"Wonderful." She gives us a natural teeth-baring smile. "Why don't you come with me so we can talk in my office?" We follow her back to her office. I allow Ana to sit first with me following her.

"So, Mr. and Mrs. Grey, you are interested in becoming members of the Foundation? Do you have an amount in mind?"

Without a pause, "I'd like to donate $200,000 as well as adopt a mother and baby gorilla in my wife's honor." Her eyes get huge. Obviously, she wasn't expecting me to say such a high amount.

She stutters, "Mr. Grey, that is incredibly generous. Thank you so much. I would like to have our President & CEO meet with you. She is based in Atlanta, Georgia. Where do you live?"

"We live in Seattle, Washington but we would be honored to travel to Atlanta to meet with her." We spend the next 45 minutes arranging all of the details. Depending on how this goes, I think there could be a partnership with GEH in the future.

We are leaving the center when Ana squeezes my hand. "That was very generous of you, Christian." She has a sweet and innocent smile when she looks at me.

"It's not generosity. They do a lot of great work, and I can see where there may be an opportunity for a partnership with GEH." I say matter-of-factly.

She raises one eyebrow at me. "OK."

"What?" I ask her.

"Nothing. If you want to say it's for business, then that's what it is." She stands up on her tiptoes and kisses my cheek. "Thank you."

I can't help but smile at her. Then I shake my head in response to her thanks. Once we return to the lodge, Ana heads for a shower before a quiet dinner on the terrace once again. I have to say I appreciate this alone time with Ana during this trip.

She smells delightful fresh out of her shower. If I could bottle the way she smells, I would love it. She changes into her Trina Turk Bubbly floral silk shorts, pink Quince sleeveless, pleated crepe top, and black Cole Haan Fenley Grand ankle-wrap flat sandals.

"You look beautiful, Ana." Being here agrees with her - her eyes are brighter than normal, her hair is shiny, and her skin is glowing. And, I don't think it's because of the little bit of sun she's gotten.

"Thank you. I hope I would. You spent a small fortune on this outfit."

"It was worth it. And, you're my wife the money is yours now too." We have a quiet night of spending time with each other since we will be traveling most of the day tomorrow.


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

 **CPOV**

We board the private jet for our journey to the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania. Unfortunately, we will be traveling most of the day, but we have plenty of things to keep us busy. Ana is wearing jeans and a CBGB t-shirt, making her look even younger than she is. There is something about her that is glowing, but I can't place my finger on it.

"Christian, what is your parents' address?" She asks me as I am working on a spreadsheet. "I'm writing out postcards."

"Oh, OK." I give her my parents' address. I would have never even thought about sending postcards.

"Look, I even got one for Charlie. I hope he likes elephants." That is my Ana. She is sweet and thoughtful.

"I don't think it matters as long as it's from you. I think he's already trying to replace me." I give her a silly pout making her laugh.

"Well, he is cute…"

Finally, we land in Tanzania. A Range Rover once again takes us to our home for the next couple of days. We arrive at the campsite, and it is the quintessential African safari camp with Flat Top Acacia trees, walled canvas tents, and a fire burning. It's like we are in one of those postcards Ana just wrote out.

"Wow, Christian, look!" Ana points to a lion in the distance.

"The camp is protected, Mrs. Grey, so you don't have to worry." Yaro, our guide points out to Ana. I don't think she considered that, but it helps to put me at ease. I have enough to worry about to keep her safe - I don't need to worry about lions eating her on top of it all.

We get to our tent, and our bags have already been placed inside. "Christian, I thought you said we were staying in a tent."

"This _is_ a tent. See? It's canvas." I tell her while pointing to the wall of the large tent.

"I have never seen a _tent…"_ Ana makes air quotes as she says the word tent. "... with wooden floors, a king-sized bed, and a working bathroom inside."

"Well, now you have. This is how we will camp on our honeymoon. I want you to have the best experience possible."

"This is glamping. But, it is wonderful. Thank you." I laugh at her term glamping. She is standing on our deck in front of the tent. "It's beautiful here; I won't want to leave." Her voice sounds wistful.

I walk up behind her, wrap my arms around her, and kiss her cheek. We just enjoy the view of the Serengeti at sunset. The sky is astounding with light blue fading to purple, to pink, to orange, with the lingering rays of the sun stretching up through the myriad of colors. It shows me how big this world is and how small we are. Forgetting that back home is easy.

After a wholesome dinner which was prepared for us by Aisha, Yaro's wife, we relax by the fire. Ana sits by the fire wearing a light tan fleece jacket and green cargo pants. The flames are reflected in her wide eyes as she listens to Yaro's stories. This vision of her makes me realize how much my love for her grows every day.

The following day we are up before dawn prepared for our first adventure - a hot air balloon ride to give us a bird's eye view of the area. The sun is just starting to peek above the horizon as we are in the balloon ready to take off. The basket is much larger than I thought it would be and it feels very stable. But, Ana still holds onto me tightly, uneasy as we lift off.

The ride lasts for about an hour, and the view does not disappoint. We saw zebras, lions, and elephants. Ana's enthusiasm was that of a child, experiencing the world for the first time. I found myself smiling and getting excited next to her. The feeling is contagious.

After we land, we toast with champagne and are lead to an acacia tree for breakfast. The wooden table is decorated with fine linens and bone china. I am delighted to see Ana have a voracious appetite and eat her entire meal. Once finished we head back to the camp to begin our next adventure.

In the open air jeep, Yaro takes us to the Mara River where we get to witness first hand the wildebeest migration crossing. I have never seen anything like that. We also get to see zebras, elephants, cheetahs, and a resident pride of lions. I can't believe we saw these animals in their natural habitat.

We get back to the camp and decide to relax by the rim-flow pool. I change into my swimming trunks and am waiting for Ana. She walks out in the bathing suit I packed for her. It's a bandini two piece suit with colorful poppies and other flowers. "You look hot, baby."

"Thanks, although I was expecting a bikini." She says smiling and I know she isn't mad.

"You are crazy if you think I am going to let anyone else ogle my beautiful wife."

"Well, then, why not a long sleeve rash guard?"

"Just because I don't want other men to ogle you doesn't mean I don't want access to you." I raise an eyebrow at her.

"You are naughty."

After our little bit of relaxation, we enjoy some tea and snacks and head out for a short bushwalk. I was nervous at first, there wasn't anything around but Yaro, Ana, me, and our security who are donning semi-automatic weapons and look like they are ready for the beginning of WW3.

We walk on a trail which follows the confluence of the river. Suddenly, Yaro stops and urges us to be quiet. He points out a herd of elephants in the distance having a mud bath and playing. We stand there and watch them for a while, and although overused, the word amazing comes to mind.

We start walking once more, and soon Yaro stops again. This time, we see a baby warthog less than ten feet away. It was both cute and ugly at the same time; I'm pretty sure Ana squealed when she saw it.

Back at camp, we have dinner once again prepared for us by Aisha. We sit around the fire eating and listening to stories told by Yaro. He told us folk tales like 'Goso the Teacher' which was told to him as a child. It's late into the night, and the stars shine. Aisha points out Mercury and Saturn to us. I have never seen so many stars in my life. It's amazing how much we are unable to see because of all the lights from our cities. Even in what we call the wilderness, it's nothing like this.

Ana and I bid goodnight to our new friends and head to our tent hand in hand for our last night at camp.


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

 **APOV**

In the morning, we bid farewell to our new friends, promising to keep in touch. We get into the Range Rover and are driven a couple of hours to the Ngorongoro Crater. The lodge is a series of clay buildings with thatched roofs high up in the trees. Our butler, Kafil, takes us to our suite. Luckily, we are the only guests at the lodge, so we have the entire place to ourselves.

"Christian, the view of the crater from here is incredible!" I call to him from the deck. I walk back into the suite; it's opulent, paradoxical to what is outside. Luxurious red fabrics fit for a palace cover the bed. There are views of the crater from every room, even the bathroom. "Holy shit! There is a crystal chandelier in the bathroom. The _bathroom_!" I yell to Christian who is in the other room. I have never seen one in a bathroom. I can hear him laugh in response.

It's early afternoon, but we decide to have an easy day just to relax. I sit on the deck overlooking the crater reading a book. It's still hard to fathom I am here. A little while later Christian joins me with a glass of wine and hands me one as well. I take a sip. "Ooh, the wine is delicious," I tell him as he sits down next to me.

"It's from the lodge's wine store." We sip wine and enjoy each other's company. A little while later I get changed for dinner. I put on my white blouson maxi dress with a ruffled v-neck and tan, strappy flat sandals. I loosely pin my hair up so it's off my neck.

I walk out of the bathroom to where Christian, donning khaki pants and a white linen shirt, is waiting. I don't think there is anything he doesn't look good in. "Damn, I am one lucky bastard." Christian walks towards me like a lion hunting a gazelle. He places his hands around my waist.

"Well, Mr. Grey, I think you have a very high chance of getting lucky tonight." He kisses me, and the passion ignites like a spark between us. I shove my fingers in his still damp hair and deepen the kiss until he breaks it.

"Baby, we need to stop now, or we won't make it to dinner." He takes my hand and leads me out to the lawn for pre-dinner drinks. As we are sipping wine during the sunset, a group of what must be 20 Maasai warriors entertain us with traditional singing and chants. It seems so magical I can barely believe it's real and I am promised to be able to meet some of the Maasai people while we are here. Once they are finished, I turn to see a trail of rose petals behind me. I look at Christian, and he smiles.

"You are always up to something," I tell him. The trail leads to a table set for two on the deck overlooking the crater. The only light is from candles providing a romantic glow. We take a seat, and our butler pours us each a glass of champagne. "Christian, you are so romantic that I feel like I am in a movie."

"I just want to give you, my beloved wife, the best of everything." Dinner is fantastic; I wouldn't be surprised if they earned a Michelin star. Our butler is attentive to us while remaining practically invisible. It feels like we are the only people on earth.

After dinner, we get back to the suite and walk into the bathroom where a bubble bath was drawn with scattered rose petals floating on top. I turn to Christian, "I've wanted to peel you out of this dress all night long." He tells me alluringly.

"Only if I can peel you out of your clothes too."

"There is no doubt about that." We slip into the large soaking tub. He wraps his legs around mine and begins to massage my back. "Does that feel good?" He asks me, and I can hear the mirth in his voice.

"Yes." He quietly laughs and puts my hair on one shoulder, so the other side of my neck is exposed. He gently kisses down my neck to my shoulder. It feels so good I groan. He nips my earlobe, and it's a hot button for me. I can't take it any longer, so I turn around to face him. I sit astride him, and holding his head in my hands I kiss him.

Slowly and gently he picks me up and places me onto his waiting erection. I moan once more - I've been waiting for this feeling all day. "Fuck, Ana, you feel so good." I place my hands on his shoulders and begin to move up, and down. The pace picks up and our breaths quicken. About a second later I feel my insides start to quiver and I know I am close to an orgasm. "Baby, let go." Christian urges. Immediately I give in, and we come at the same time.

With all my energy spent Christian helps me out of the bath and towels me off. Then he picks me up and carries me to the bed.

We're up early once again to get ready for today's game drive and hike to the bottom of the crater. This game drive has been incredible so far. I've seen a family of elephants, zebras, and some lion cubs playing around. We get to the lake, and there must be hundreds of flamingoes there. I've never seen a flamingo outside of a zoo. It's been exhilarating, and Christian hasn't stopped taking pictures.

We get to the bottom of the crater, and there is a picnic lunch set up for us. Our guide must have seen the trepidation in my face when he let us know the spot is chosen for its safety and the guards will be on the lookout for any wildlife. It's easy to forget we are in the midst of dangerous wildlife when we are so close to them.

After lunch, we finish our game drive and make our way back up the crater. There was a moment of unsurety when a lion was taking a nap in front of one of the guards' vehicles. Without being seen by the lion, they climbed in through the back of the jeep and waited for the lion to leave. I was a wreck, but they didn't seem fazed by it.

After tea back at the lodge, we head for a walk around the crater's edge before we head out on an evening game drive. We get to see even more animals than we did during the day including several hyenas and leopards.

The following day we walked to Lake Eyasi where we got to visit some of the Maasai communities along the way. We also were able to visit the Mokilail School, one of the schools built by the Africa Foundation. The children were so sweet and curious. I sat down on the floor with them while they asked questions and laughed. One little girl was amazed by my hair and my blue eyes. They also touched my tattoos and asked about them. The guide told me they have never seen a woman like me with tattoos.

Outside the children stood in a line and sang a song called 'I Am Happy' and clapped. It was so beautiful to hear their voices. The guide told me the children are taught both Maa and English, so they enjoy being able to sing in English to me. I'm not sure where Christian got to so I continue to play with the children. They ask me to play a game of tag with them. They are laughing and running from me as we play. I have such a great time with them; I am sad when the guide tells us it's time to go. Just then, Christian returns and shakes hands with the school principal and teacher.

I give him a confused look, but before I can ask him, some of the women of the tribe present me with a beautiful beaded necklace like the ones they are wearing. I am incredibly touched and allow one of the women to put it on me. When we are in the SUV and driving away, I ask Christian what he was doing with the principal.

"Oh, it was nothing." He gives me a secretive smile.

"Now I know you're lying. Tell me. Please?" I pout at him knowing he can't say no.

"It's no big deal. I just paid the tuition for all the children for five years. It's not that much; tuition is only $120 a year."

"But Christian, it's a lot to them. No wonder they looked happy. You're very generous." He just shrugs, he still doesn't take compliments well.

When we get back to the lodge, we have a nice and simple dinner then relax and watch the stars from our deck. It still amazes me this is the same sky we look at in Seattle. The fresh air and activities of the day make us tired, and we sleep well that night ready to make the trip to our next location the following day.


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

 **CPOV**

We're getting close to the end of our trip. My favorite part was seeing Ana this happy and excited. I love seeing the world through her eyes.

The next couple of days we will be staying at the Matetsi River House, a private villa by the Matetsi River Lodge. The house will allow us to have time alone but all the comforts we enjoy. There are stunning views of the Zambezi River from almost every room. It's evening by the time we arrive at the house, so we just relax on our veranda.

The following morning, we head out for a game drive along the river. There we saw elephants playing in the water and hippos keeping cool. The rest of the day is spent at the river house relaxing.

Back at the house, we are finally alone, so we decide to skip our swimsuits when we go for a swim in the pool. I throw her in the pool and dive in after her. She screamed the entire time, and it only made me laugh more. I swim up to her, "I can't believe you did that!" She scolds me, but I know she isn't mad.

Before she has a chance, I lean in and kiss her passionately. Ana places her arms around my neck and wraps her legs around my waist. With ease, I slide into her and pause to relish the feeling of being inside my wife. I start to thrust slowly into her, "I love you, Ana." I whisper it into her ear like an invocation.

After dinner, we head to the falls for what our guide said is an enchanting experience. We arrive, and the guide explains to us the full moon creates a lunar rainbow over the falls if you stand in the right spot. Just after moonrise, we can see the faint rainbow stretching over the falls. "Christian, it's like magic!" I hug her body close to mine and kiss her hair gently as she looks at the rainbow in wonder.

The next morning we are up before the sun to embark on a sunrise cruise along the Zambezi River. The pinks and lavender colors of the sky are reflected on the water, so it looks as if we are encompassed by the rising sun. During the cruise, we see hippos, crocodiles, and countless birds. We are also treated to another site of an elephant herd drinking and playing in the river.

After we return to the house and have a light lunch, Ana is treated to a massage on the veranda while I check in on work. It's too early back home, so I continue to answer emails. Ana walks back into the house serenely, so we lie down together in the bedroom to get out of the heat of mid-day. I fall asleep with Ana in my favorite place - my arms.

Before dinner I follow-up with Ros to make sure everything is going well at GEH. She scolds me for checking in on my honeymoon. Once I am assured everything is in order and control, Ana and I enjoy a casual dinner under the stars.

In the morning we wake feeling renewed. It felt good yesterday to just relax and not have to worry about or do anything. Our driver takes us to a nearby helipad where Ana and I get in a large glass-sided helicopter.

We first fly over the falls in both directions for a complete view. Then we fly over the Batoka Gorge in which the river flows through dividing Zambia and Zimbabwe. From above we can see rainforests transform into grasslands. The flight along the river gives us panoramic views of elephants, buffalo, giraffes, and hippos below. The pilot makes a few loops around the falls to make sure we have seen everything we can.

We land on a helipad on the Zambia side of the river. Out of the helicopter, Ana asks me, "What are we doing here?"

I smile at her in response, "You'll see. It's a surprise." I reach out my hand for her to take. She rolls her eyes at me but places her hand in mine.

We are standing almost 400 feet above the bottom of the gorge, harnessed and attached to the cable. Ana was nervous to go by herself, so we decided to go tandem. We jump from the platform and soar the over 1,300 feet across the gorge at almost 65 miles per hour. It was exhilarating. Hearing Ana squeal with glee made it that much more fun. We return to the house to have a quick lunch and pack our things. Then we fly a couple of hours to Durban followed by a 3-hour drive to Phinda.

The following morning we are awake before dawn to go on our first game drive of our stay at Phinda. Our ranger was very knowledgeable and even tracked some black rhino for us to see. We saw more of the "Big 5, really " but I think she's most excited to see a cheetah family. They were almost extinct in this area fifty years ago.

The following day we take another game drive including a walking safari and tour a Zulu village. Many of the children and villagers come out to visit with us. We are talking with some of the elders of the tribe when our guide tells us we have been invited for lunch. On enamel plates we are served phutu, amasi, and boiled madumbes. Several families eat together and it's a great time with the elders telling us stories. After we eat, an inyanga gives a tea to Ana.

"Oh, thank you." She goes to give me a sip, but the inyanga stops her.

"The inyanga says that tea is only for your wife. It's to help her with the baby."

"Oh, he must be mistaken, I'm not pregnant." Ana looks at me and shrugs. She is on the pill and I know she's been taking it every night. The inyanga smiles at Ana and still gives her the cup.

"It's raspberry leaf tea. It's to get your energy back, help with mood swings, and to tone your uterus."

She looks at me, "It's only raspberry leaf so it won't harm me. I don't want to insult him, even if he thinks I'm pregnant." She takes a sip of the tea and tells the inyanga it is delicious.

After our visit we begin to head back to the lodge. "Mrs. Grey, any requests for our last night on our honeymoon?"

"Can we do one more night drive to see the animals? Please?"

"Of course."

The next morning we are up early and begin the long flight home. I'm glad to be going back to Seattle but I will miss having Anastasia to myself. It was nice indulging in just the two of us.

Ana was so exhausted from our trip she slept a lot of the 23-hour journey. At one point she was laying with her head resting on my legs as I read. She sighs wistfully. "Christian, I don't want to go back. I want it to be just us forever."

I smile at her and brush her hair out of her face. "Don't worry baby, you've got me forever. And any time you want a getaway, we can go - wherever you want."

"You spoil me." She smiles at me once more.

"It's my favorite thing to do."


	29. Chapter 29

_**Hello, everyone. This is the last regular chapter for this story, however, I am working on an epilogue so it's not the end per se. Thank you for reading the story and I hope you liked it.**_

* * *

Chapter 29

 **APOV**

It's been a couple of days since we got home and I am just starting to unpack now - I didn't realize life as a newlywed would be this busy. Kate is over helping me. "Ana, your closet is huge. I'm jealous!" She peers into my cedar-lined closet filled with clothing purchased for me.

"Kate, you can borrow any of my clothes whenever you want. You would probably appreciate them more than I do, anyway." I tried to tell Christian he didn't have to buy me all those clothes, that I like the clothes I had but he insisted on adding to my wardrobe. I still have no clue where I am going to put the clothes he got me for our honeymoon.

Kate is in my closet hanging up my clothes and digging through what is already in hanging up. I'm in the bathroom putting away my toiletries. I pull out an unopened box of tampons. I didn't use any of these? When did I last get my period? I sit and try to count back in my head. "Shit! Oh, shit! No!"

Kate comes running into the bathroom, "Ana, what happened?" I look up at Kate. My heart is pounding. This is not good.

"I missed my period. I don't remember when I last had, it but I was supposed to have gotten it while we were on our trip."

Kate's eyes get huge in surprise, "You don't think you're…"

"No! I can't be. I'm on the pill. It's probably just because we were traveling and my body was stressed out or something." That has to be it. My mind slips back to the memory of when we visited with the Zulu tribe.

"Maybe you should take a pregnancy test. Just to be sure." Kate's voice sounds like it's far away even though she is standing right in front of me.

"Oh, my God. This can't be. Christian is going to freak out. What do I do?" I plead with her. I try to tell myself not to panic but it's not working at all.

"I'm going to go and get a pregnancy test for you to take. That way you'll know for sure. There's no sense worrying about a what-if." Kate leaves and I pace back and forth running scenarios through my mind. At least we're married, right? It feels like it takes Kate forever to come back. She only had to go to the Walgreen's on the corner.

She walks into the bedroom, "What took so long? I'm freaking out here!"

"Sorry, there were so many different ones, I didn't know what kind to get. Here." She hands me a box of tests. On the front it says, "Accurate results in 1 minute."

"OK. Let's go do this." I walk towards the bathroom.

"Do you want me to go with you? I mean, this is something personal." Kate asks hesitantly.

"Of course. You're my best friend. And, if I pass out after I see the results you'll be there to dial 911." Kate laughs and pushes me towards the bathroom. It's amazing how long a minute can feel when you're anxious. Finally, time is up and I look at the stick. "What does two lines mean?"

Kate is looking at the back of the box. Her eyes intently reading the back and she looks at me. "Two lines?" I nod. She reads the back, "Two lines is a positive result."

"What?! Maybe it's wrong. They have false positives, right? Maybe this test is defective." I know I am grasping at straws here.

"Well, there's another test in here. Want to take that one too?" She hands me the next test from the box.

A minute later, we both look at the results from the second test. "Shit. That's two lines again."

"Ana, Christian can't get that mad. You're married and it's not like you can't afford it. Plus, you won't be able to keep this a secret for long." You guys do it like rabbits, your chances of getting pregnant are probably a lot higher than most women.

* * *

Christian finally comes home from work. "Hi, Mrs. Grey. I've missed you." He wraps his arms around my waist. I don't know if I am relieved to see him or more anxious to break the news.

"Hi. I missed you too." I tell him, trying to act as normal as possible. He gives me a bemused look and his brow furrows a little bit.

"Everything ok?"

"Yeah, just tired."

"Maybe you picked something up on our trip. You should go to the doctor just in case."

"I'm sure it's nothing." I shrug.

He backs up to inspect me a little more. "Something's wrong. What is it?"

"Well, I have something to talk to you about. Maybe you should sit down. Before I say anything, I don't know anything for sure yet."

"Ana, just tell me."

"I took a pregnancy test today and it was positive."

"Really? Are you sure?"

"Pretty sure. I took two tests and they both came back positive. I'm sorry, I know we didn't plan for this…"

"Why are you sorry?" Christian suddenly stands. "This is great news!"

"What? You're happy?" I am in complete shock. I didn't expect this reaction.

"Yeah. I would have liked having you to myself for a little while but I can't wait to have a family with you. You're going to be such a wonderful mother."

"Christian, I didn't think you wanted kids."

"I didn't - until I met you. Then all sorts of things became a possibility."

"Oh, Christian…" I can't help it as tears spring to my eyes. It must be the hormones or something.

"Hey, hey, baby. Don't cry. What's wrong?" He looks at me worriedly.

"It's just that I was so worried you would be upset and here you are being supportive and wonderful."

"It's because of you. I will do anything to make you happy because you make me happy."

* * *

When your name is Christian Grey, even doctors make time for you on your schedule. All we had to do was say our names and we had our choice of appointment times.

The doctor sits on the stool in the exam room looking at my file. "Mr. and Mrs. Grey. I'm Doctor Egan. How are you?"

Quietly, I answer, "Fine, thank you."

"Well, let's get down to business, shall we? So, you took two home pregnancy tests and they came out positive, correct?"

"Yes."

"Have you been feeling sick, emotional, or tired?"

"Just tired, I suppose. But I thought it was because of traveling."

"Mrs. Grey, I'd say you're very lucky not to get any morning sickness so far. From the look of your HcG levels, it looks like you are between 6 and 8 weeks along. Does that sound right to you?"

I can't think clearly so I just look at Christian. He gets a big grin on his face. "If my math is correct, it looks like it happened while we were in Las Vegas." He whispers and then winks at me.

"We will be able to get a more definitive time frame once I run some more tests. And, since you traveled, I would like to do a sonogram to make sure everything is going well. I doubt there is anything to worry about but I just want to be sure."

"When will we be able to determine the baby's gender?" Christian sounds eager.

Dr. Egan smiles at Christian, "That is usually determined around 18 to 20 weeks, so unfortunately you'll have to wait another 10 to 12 weeks. Can you hold on that long?" She gives Christian a kind smile.

"I guess I don't have a choice. Do I?"

"No, you don't. I'd like to schedule your follow-up appointment. Before that, do you have any other questions?"

My thoughts are buzzing around in my head. I have so many questions but I can't think of them right now. "When is it safe to tell people?"

"Most parents wait until they are past the first trimester to be sure everything is progressing normally however, the choice is yours to make."

"No, I like the idea of waiting. I think I need some time to absorb everything before we tell family." I say to Dr. Egan nervously.

"Mr. and Mrs. Grey, if you think of any questions you may have once you get home, please call me. In the meantime, here is some information for you to read and get started." She hands us some brochures. "Ana, I am also going to write you a prescription for prenatal vitamins. I also recommend you take folic acid supplements as well as eat plenty of green, leafy vegetables and citrus fruit. I would also recommend reading up on what you should expect during the pregnancy. It will help to alleviate a lot of worries you may have."

I nod and take the information from her putting everything in my purse. After we schedule my follow-up appointment, we get to the car to drive home. But, Christian turns in the opposite direction of home.

"Christian, where are you going?" I am tired and really want to lie down. All this information has been a little overwhelming.

"To the bookstore. I need to get reading about pregnancy and stuff." His excitement is sweet and makes me feel more comfortable. A half hour later, Christian and I are walking out of the bookstore with his arms full of books and even more on order. At this rate, he is going to know more about me than I do. Ready or not, we are going to be a family.

Christian and I are going to have a family. I can't believe it! We walk out into the sunny day, hand in hand and I realize I never knew how complete my life could be until now.

 **The End**


	30. Epilogue

_Epilogue_

 **APOV**

Today we're going to the Grey's for dinner and Christian and I are announcing the pregnancy. The first trimester was good overall, with only a couple bouts of morning sickness. I have continued to drink the raspberry tea; it helps when I am craving my English Breakfast tea. I'm starting to get a little bump but the only person who noticed is Christian. He's noticed the littlest things changing.

"You look radiant," Christian tells me as I stand in the full-length mirror turning to look at myself.

"Does my butt look fat?" The only changes I've noticed are that my butt got huge and I hate the smell of coffee.

"Baby, your butt looks spectacular." He wraps his arms around my waist and kisses my hair.

We pull up in the driveway, and I take a deep, cleansing breath.

"Why are you nervous? You know my mother is going to be over the moon." Christian cajoles.

"I know, I've just really enjoyed you and me and the little one here. It's stupid, but in a way, I don't want to share him."

"Him?" Christian looks at me and his eyes sparkle with curiosity.

I smile at him. "Yeah, I had a dream we had a little boy." Subconsciously, I rub my belly.

He leans forward and gives me a sweet kiss. "I like that. Let's go inside and share the good news. It'll still be the three of us."

Surprisingly, we make it through the entire dinner without spilling the beans. No one even noticed that I wasn't drinking wine. Dessert is being served when Christian clears his throat.

"Guys, Anastasia and I have an announcement. Mom, Dad, you're going to be grandparents." Christian's grin is stretching from ear to ear.

"Oh my God! You're expecting! This is so exciting, I can hardly contain myself!" Grace leaps up from her seat and runs around to the other side of the table and give us each a huge hug. "I'm going to be a grandma." She says through her tears of joy.

"Christian! I'm going to be an aunt!" Mia practically jumps into Christian's arms. "Is it a girl or a boy?"

"Mia, we won't be able to find out for another few months." Christian sounds a little exasperated already.

"Ana, have you told Ray the good news?" Grace asks me.

"Yes, we called him this morning. I've never heard him that excited before." I am smiling at the memory of Ray's reaction on the phone. "It was the most I heard him say in a very long time." Both Grace and I laugh.

"To Christian and Ana, and our newest addition-to-be of the Grey family!" Carrick toasts us. After dinner, I am exhausted. Christian and I soak in the huge bathtub in our master bedroom. He's massaging my aching feet, and I feel like I am in seventh heaven.

* * *

 **CPOV**

 _One month later…_

"Christian, stop pacing. You're making me nervous." Ana tells me. The doctor is running late. I don't do late. This is very unprofessional of her.

"Why is she so late? Our appointment was 20 minutes ago." I explain to her.

A moment later one of the nurses approaches us, "Mr. and Mrs. Grey, I am so sorry for the delay. Dr. Egan had a delivery this morning, so she is running a little behind. Can I get you anything while you wait, coffee or water?"

"We're ok, but thank you," I tell her. That makes me feel better about the wait. I sit down next to Ana.

"Christian, why are you so nervous?" Ana asks me, her voice is light and jovial.

"Because in a little while we'll finally know for sure whether we need to paint the nursery pink or blue."

She laughs, lately she has been laughing a lot more, and it's utterly adorable. "What do you want it to be?"

"I'll be happy regardless. I just want our baby to be happy and healthy." She smiles at me, leans forward, and gives me a kiss on the cheek.

"Mrs. Grey, you can come on back. We'll be in exam room number 3." I stand immediately and take Ana's hand to help her up. We get back to the exam room and have a seat. The nurse weighs Ana and takes her blood pressure. "Your weight is perfect and right where it should be and your blood pressure is normal. If you want to lie down on the exam table Dr. Egan will be in to do the ultrasound in a minute." She instructs Ana and leaves the room shutting the door behind her.

"Are you OK baby?" I ask her as I brush some hair out of her face. She is so beautiful and radiant and the fact she is carrying our child makes her even more so. She smiles and nods.

The door opens and Dr. Egan walks in. "Good morning, Mr. and Mrs. Grey. I apologize for the wait but newborn babies have no respect for schedules." We politely laugh at her joke. She pulls the machine over to Ana and turns it on. She takes the tube of jelly and puts it on the paddles. "Are you ready, Ana? This may be a little cold at first and depending on where the baby is I may need to press a little and make it uncomfortable."

"OK" Ana nods at her and looks up at me. I take her hand in mine and squeeze it. The screen comes to life and honestly, it just resembles a fuzzy tv screen. How is the doctor able to even find the baby like this?

"I think your baby is a little camera shy. Let me see if I can get a clearer picture." The doctor explains. Then we see it. A tiny little baby and it's sucking its thumb! I read that babies do that often in the womb. "Well, here we go. Are you ready to learn the sex of your baby?"

"Yes." We both emphatically respond at the same time.

"Well, I am happy to tell you that you are having a baby… boy." She smiles as she gives is the news.

Ana looks up at me with tears running down her cheeks. "We're going to have a little Christian." She starts crying more, but I know it's happy tears. We're having a son. I can't believe this. I can take him to Mariners games and in Charlie Tango and on the Grace.

"Have you thought about possible names?" Dr. Egan asks.

"Not really. I guess we are waiting until he's born." Ana says.

"A lot of couples do that. They have a few names in mind and decide once they meet their baby." The doctor explains as she cleans up the machine and puts it away.

Ana is dressed, and we're leaving the office. "So, baby. What do you think?" I ask.

"I think I am very excited to have a little Christian in our lives. If he looks like his daddy, he's going to be a heartbreaker."

"I, for one, hope he looks like his mother and is smart like her too."

"I think his daddy is the smart one, but he will have a mini CEO in training." I never thought of that. I can pass Grey Enterprises on to him.

* * *

 **APOV**

I am just starting my third trimester now. I feel huge already but Christian assures me that isn't the case and I don't waddle. I totally waddle. I have to pee a lot. It's like our little boy likes to jump on my bladder. And now that my belly is bigger, we have had to get creative with our sex positions. Christian has been more than supportive with regard to my increased libido.

Today we're going to his parents' house for their annual family reunion. I'm going to meet a lot of family members who never even knew I exist until just recently. I am so hot I can barely stand it so I want to wear a loose dress that will allow me to breathe. My feet are so swollen I can't fit into most of my shoes. Nothing in my closet looks good on me and I can't even fit into my flip flops. "Christian, I can't go today."

"Baby, what's wrong?" Christian asks me concerned.

"My feet are too fat. I can't fit in any shoes." I start to cry. "Look, I have cankles."

He laughs, "Baby, I assure you that you don't have cankles. Come here and put your feet on my lap. I'll massage them until the swelling goes down." He rubs my feet for about forty minutes until Taylor comes in and hands Christian a nondescript bag. Why is Taylor working on the weekend?

"What's that?" I ask Christian.

"Well, Taylor got you a new dress and shoes to wear that you will feel comfortable in."

I sit up. "How and when did he do that? And why is he even working on the weekend?" I am puzzled.

"I have my secrets. Mrs. Jones helped Taylor and it's because they both care for you a great deal. So, let's get you dressed for this reunion, shall we?" He puts my feet on the floor and helps me stand. I follow him into our bedroom where he begins to empty the contents of the bag.

There is a black maxi dress in a light breathable fabric with a halter neck and brightly colored embroidered boho folk-style flowers on the bodice. It's perfect and beautiful. Then he pulls out a pair of black leather lace-up flat sandals with plaited laces that wrap around my ankle. They are perfect and completely adjustable for my ever-swelling feet.

"Christian, thank you." I walk up to him and he leans down and kisses me sweetly, very much the reverent husband and father-to-be. Something quickly changes inside me; I don't know if it's my crazy hormones or the loving gesture from Christian, but I want him. Now.

I deepen the kiss and move my hands in his hair. He moans and then breaks the kiss, "Baby, are you sure?" He asks me.

"Christian, I want you. Now." I am breathless, and my heart is pounding. Slowly he slides my silk nightgown up over my head, so I am completely naked.

He stands back to look at me. You'd think by now I would get used to it but he still makes me shy. "Anastasia, do you know how exquisite you are right now?" He peels his t-shirt off and pulls down his jogger pants and boxer briefs so he is completely naked.

He kisses me and slowly backs up so he ends up lying on the bed with me on top of him. Once he is situated I straddle him so I am in position. "Remember, baby, not too deep. I don't want to hurt you." He tells me. He has been reading on literally every aspect of my pregnancy.

I press my fingers to his lips, "Shhh…" I tell him. And slowly move up and down letting him get deeper inside me each time.

"Fuck, baby." He groans as I pick up the pace. I can feel I am close to an orgasm already.

"Christian…" I cry out.

"Go ahead, Ana. Let go for me." Moments later I can no longer hold it in and I come. Christian is soon after me. I think one of the best parts about being pregnant is my orgasms seem to be more intense than before.

Feeling much calmer, I take a shower and get dressed for the reunion. As usual, Christian is waiting for me in the living room. I walk out in my new dress and sandals. He turns to look at me and gives me a bright smile. "There's my girl. You look beautiful. Are you ready to go?"

"As ready as I'll ever be."

When we pull into the driveway at his parents' house in Bellevue, and I am surprised to see so many cars here. "I didn't know your family is this big," I say to Christian.

"You haven't met everyone yet." he explains.

We walk into the foyer of the house, and it's strangely quiet. We walk through to the living room, and I see blue balloons and a 'congratulations' sign. "Surprise!" everyone yells.

I turn to Christian, "What's this?"

He smiles and shrugs, "I know you didn't want a baby shower because we don't need anything but my mom wanted to throw a party anyway. So, instead of bringing gifts, we asked anyone who wanted to get one to donate money to Childhaven instead."

"Oh, Christian, that's so sweet. You're going to make me cry." I hug him.

"This wasn't my idea. I just got you here. It was my mom, Mia, and Kate." The three of them come up to me and I give them each a hug as well. We talk to the guests for a while and I get introduced to a couple great-aunts and some more cousins. They really do have a big family. It's a little overwhelming.

Suddenly, I hear a small familiar voice yell my name, "Ana!". It's little Charlie.

I kneel down as best as I can without my belly getting in the way. "Hi, Charlie. How are you?" His cheeks blush, and he looks down quickly becoming shy.

"Charlie, go say hi to Ana. Thank her for the postcard of the elephants." his mom tells him. She looks up at me, "he wouldn't stop talking about you and showed everyone the postcard."

"Charlie, did you like the elephants?" I ask him.

He smiles slowly and nods his head. "Baby?" he asks pointing to my belly.

I smile and rub my belly a little, "Yes, I'm going to have a baby." I tell him.

"Charlie's baby?" he asks me and I laugh.

Just then, Christian kneels down with us. "Hey there, little man. First, you steal my wife, and now you are trying to take my baby?" Charlie then bends down and kisses my belly.

"Aw, thank you, Charlie." He then grabs his mom's leg and won't let go, turning shy once more.

"Do you have a name picked out?" Christian's cousin asks us.

"We have a couple in mind," Christian tells her as we both stand up. He winks at me conspiratorially. "We are going to choose when we meet him. So we're going to keep the name to ourselves for now."

"That's a very nice idea." Just then Charlie tugs on her dress.

"Mommy. I gotta go potty!" Charlie yells. She blushes and grabs his outreached hand.

"Looks like we have some business to attend to. Congratulations again!"

The party has been going on for quite some time, and I am exhausted. Just as we are about to say our goodbyes, Christian's grandmother and grandfather approach us.

"I'm glad you got started on that right away, dear. There's no sense in doing all that practice for nothing!" Christian's grandmother quite loudly exclaims.

Christian laughs but I can tell he's even a little bit embarrassed. I feel like I could die. I don't need anyone talking about us having sex regardless of the situation.

"Come on, Grandmother, let's let the kids go and stop embarrassing them. You're making poor Anastasia blush." Christian's grandfather scolds his grandmother. By the time we get home, I am exhausted but happy.

* * *

 **CPOV**

Today has been incredibly dull, and I want to get home to Ana. She's due in just a couple of days so she has been home relaxing on doctor's orders. I am excited but nervous. I have her bag packed and the entire staff is ready to go should the need be. I tried to talk her into having a planned c-section but she refused, saying she wanted to have our baby the natural way. She's so incredibly stubborn sometimes I don't know what to do with her.

I just get back to my office after a meeting with the finance department about a new acquisition when my cell rings. It's Ana.

"Hey, baby. How are you?"

"Christian, my water broke. Mrs. Jones is taking me to the hospital now."

"Your water broke? Oh my God! OK, we can do this. You can do this, baby." Don't panic. Stay calm. I try to tell myself. I need to be Ana's rock now.

"Christian, don't freak out and just have Taylor take you to the hospital. My contractions are about four minutes apart. Hurry, but be careful." I can hear her on the other end of the phone trying to breathe through another one.

"OK, baby. Just breathe. Taylor and I will be right there. We're leaving now." I tell Ana before I hang up the phone.

I run out of my office and Andrea is sitting at her desk looking alarmed and puzzled. "Andrea, cancel the rest of my appointments. Ana is in labor. She's gone to the hospital." I quickly shout to her as I run to Taylor's office. Luckily, he hears me and meets me in the hallway.

"Sir, no offense, but I think you should let me drive. You're too excited." Taylor tells me in his all-business voice. He drives like a bat out of hell, and we get to the hospital in record time. It makes me wonder if he has been practicing the route.

We pull up to the ER just as they are wheeling Ana in. Mrs. Jones comes up to us. "Mr. Grey, Ana is doing wonderful, there is no need to worry, but I think she's going to have a quick labor so you should go to her." She tells me.

"Thank you, Gail. Thank you for bringing her. Can you do me a favor? Can you call my mom and let her know? I'm going to go in with Ana." My heart is beating so fast I think it may come out of my chest. I just want to run to my Ana.

"Yes, Sir. Don't worry. We'll take care of everything else - you just take care of Mrs. Grey." Gail gently pushes me to the hospital entrance.

I turn to run, but before I do, I thank Gail and Taylor. Then, as quickly as I can, I catch up with Ana as she is on her way to Labor and Delivery.

"Hey, baby. I'm here. You're doing great." I tell Anastasia.

She grabs my hand. "Christian, I'm scared."

I am scared to death but I can't let her know that. "No, baby. There's nothing to be scared of. You're ready for this. You got it." They get her in the room and it's a flurry of activity. They get Ana changed into a hospital gown and in a gurney in the delivery room.

"Mrs. Grey, I am Dr. Pope. I'm the on-call obstetrician today. Let's see how far along you are. When was your last contraction?"

Ana, clearly uncomfortable, answers "I don't know. Maybe a couple of minutes ago."

"They were four minutes apart on her way here," I inform the doctor as I stand by helpless as nurses and the doctor scurry throughout the room. He has Ana up in stirrups to examine her and I fight the urge to punch him in the face being that close to her intimate areas.

"Well, Mrs. Grey, I have good news and bad news. The good news is you are already at 8 centimeters dilated. The bad news is you are too dilated now for an epidural." The doctor tells Ana.

"What? What do you mean? She's going to have to give birth without anything?" This is ridiculous. What century is this?

"Yes, she dilated too quickly. From how things are progressing, it looks like she might not have a long labor." The doctor explains to me.

I storm out of the room. "This is fucked!" I'm calling my mom. She'll know what to do.

"Christian! We're on our way. How is she doing?" My mom sounds happy and cheerful.

"Mom, they won't give Ana an epidural. They said she's too dilated. They can't do that, right? It's inhumane." I pace back and forth in the hallway.

"Christian, darling. Calm down. The hospital has a policy not to give an epidural once the patient is at 8 centimeters dilated so that it won't slow down the progression of her labor."

"Progression of her labor? Mom, she's going to be in pain. I can't have her in pain." Why isn't anyone listening to me?

"Christian, we're pulling up to the hospital entrance now. I'll be right there." My mom tells me and hangs up. A few minutes later she's walking towards me in the hallway.

"Mom. Tell them they have to help her."

"Christian, honey, I can't. I know you're upset because this is out of your control but you need to go in there and be with her. Go with Anastasia."

"I think she'd at least want you to say hello." I try to calm down. Grace walks with me into the room.

"Grace, I'm scared. I don't know what to do and the contractions hurt." Ana sounds tired and weak.

"Anastasia, you're doing wonderfully. Try to get some rest while you can so you have energy when it's time to start pushing. OK, darling girl?" My mom squeezes Ana's hand.

"Does Ray know I'm here?"

"Yes, we called him, and he is on his way down. Cary and the rest of the family are in the waiting room. I'll go join them."

Ana squeezes my mom's hand once more. "Please, don't go. Stay with me just a little while. You help calm me and I think you help Christian too. He's a wreck." Ana looks up at me with her big blue eyes. I start to laugh. She is the one in labor and I am freaking out.

"OK, but let me go talk to the nurses for a moment. Christian will be here with you."

Three hours later, Ana is holding our son against her chest. "Christian, look how tiny his hands are. And, it looks like he's going to have your hair." His eyes are closed, and he's quietly sleeping in her arms.

"Anastasia, he's beautiful, like you. Thank you."

She laughs. "Christian, I didn't make him on my own. I just carried him around."

"Well, you did an excellent job, and you were incredibly brave today." I lean down and kiss her forehead. She looks up at me and smiles sweetly with her eyes shining brightly even with what she has been through in the last few hours.

There is a quiet knock on the door and standing there are my parents, Ray, Elliot, Kate, and Mia. "Is it ok if we visit?" Grace quietly asks.

"Oh, of course. We'd like you to meet Theodore Raymond Grey." Ana says as she holds Teddy up for everyone to see. Ana looks at Ray and smiles big.

"He has a great name, Annie," Ray tells her.

"I thought you would like that," she replies.

"Oh, Ana, he is beautiful." Grace gushes over her first grandson.

* * *

 **APOV**

It's just turned 5 am and our little guy is calling out to me through the baby monitor. "Mama!" he yells. Today our baby turns one. Christian and I stayed up late last night getting ready for today. Christian put together a huge model train set and I baked a cake in the shape of a helicopter. It was extremely challenging, and I think from now on, I'll just go to a bakery.

I drag my tired ass into our adorable son's room. He's standing in his crib with a giant drooling smile on his face. "Mama!" He calls to me with his arms stretched out for me to pick him up.

"Happy birthday, little man!" I pick him up out of his crib, kiss his head, and take him to change his diaper on the changing table. As I carry him down the steps I notice he is losing that baby smell I love so much. I'm not ready for him to grow older.

We get into the great room, and Teddy's eyes get huge. He points to Christian, who is standing in the center of the train set-up, and excitedly squeals. "I think that means he likes it," I say to Christian as he walks over to us.

I laugh and Christian gives me a chaste kiss on the lips. "Happy birthday, Ted," Christian says as he is taking Teddy into his arms. Teddy holds his mouth open in an attempt to give Christian a "kiss". Christian's face grimaces a little when his cheek is pretty well slobbered on.

"I think he's teething," I say. We both look at Teddy, and he's busily chewing on his fingers in the back of his mouth.

"Ted, are you hungry? Do you want yogurt?" Christian asks Teddy. Now Christian keeps track of the eating schedule for two of us. Christian puts Teddy down, and while holding both his hands helps him walk to the kitchen.

I stay back a little bit, overwhelmed with emotion as I think about how lucky I am to have my family. I wouldn't change this for the world. They _are_ my world, and it couldn't be better.


End file.
